US files forfeiture action against more than 1 million rounds of ammunition enroute from Iran to Yemen
The action is one of the government’s largest forfeiture actions for weapons shipments from Iran
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department announced the filing of a forfeiture complaint against over 1 million rounds of ammunition, thousands of proximity fuses for rocket-propelled grenades, and thousands of pounds of propellant for rocket-propelled grenades that the U.S. Navy seized in transit from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to militant groups in Yemen March 31. The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington field office and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic field office are leading the larger investigation of the Iranian weapons-smuggling network with substantial assistance from the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in conducting the seizure.
“This forfeiture action prevents ammunition and dangerous weapons from falling into the wrong hands and highlights the importance of our investigative work to deny criminal and terrorist networks their instruments of violence and destruction,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “I am extremely proud of the critical investigative role played by Homeland Security Investigations alongside our law enforcement and Department of Defense partners in a collaborative whole-of-government effort.”
“This seizure represents one of the largest forfeiture actions ever for weapons shipments from Iran and demonstrates our commitment to preventing the illicit movement of ammunition and other dangerous weapons that in the hands of transitional criminal organizations could pose a significant threat to public safety, worldwide,” said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Tae D. Johnson. “This was a collaborative effort, and HSI played a critical role working with mission partners to keep these munitions out of the hands of a hostile nation.”
“This seizure is quite significant for several reasons — first, this is among the largest seizures of munitions shipments from Iran, but more importantly, this keeps copious amounts of dangerous armaments out of the hands of dangerous militant organizations in the Middle East,” said HSI Washington, D.C. Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon. “Working with our law enforcement and Defense Department partners, HSI Washington, D.C. remains proud to have played such a significant role in this operation. We will continue to protect the interests of our great nation at home and abroad.”
According to court documents, on or about Dec. 1, 2022, U.S. Central Command forces seized the weapons from a flagless vessel in the Arabian Sea. The seizure included 1.063 million rounds of 7.62x54mm ammunition; 24,000 rounds of 12.7x99mm ammunition; 6,960 proximity fuses for rocket-propelled grenades; and 2,000 kg of propellant for rocket-propelled grenades.
The government’s forfeiture action is part of a larger investigation of an Iranian weapons-smuggling network. The network was involved in the illicit trafficking of advanced conventional weapons systems and components by sanctioned Iranian entities that directly support military action by the Houthi movement in Yemen and the Iranian regime’s campaign of terrorist activities throughout the region. The forfeiture complaint alleges a sophisticated scheme by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to clandestinely ship weapons to entities that pose grave threats to U.S. national security.
This forfeiture action, a result of the U.S. government’s coordinated effort to enforce U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian regime, is merely an allegation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart D. Allen, Brian P. Hudak, Rajbir S. Datta, and Anna D. Walker for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney S. Derek Shugert of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are litigating the case with support from Paralegal Specialists Brian Rickers and Angela De Falco.
The burden to prove forfeitability in a forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
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