An international arms dealer was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a Los Angeles federal court Monday (August 19th) for conspiring to sell surface-to-air missiles to Libyan militants and other customers in the Middle East, AFP reported.
The trafficking operation run by Rami Najm Asad-Ghanem was described as "breathtaking and frightening" by Judge James Otero, who pronounced the sentence.
Ghanem, a 53-year-old naturalized American citizen, pleaded guilty to multiple federal crimes at his trial in November.
He was accused of negotiating the sale of Russian-made missile systems to a Libyan armed faction in 2015.
Ghanem also claimed to represent clients in Iran, and Iraq-based members of Hizbullah -- a US-designated terrorist group.
He was arrested in 2015 in Greece and extradited to the US.