3 Men Charged in Schemes to Ship Weapons From Ohio to Lebanon, Evade Income Tax
Three men currently believed to be residing in Lebanon -- George Ajaltouni, Jean Issa and Nakhle "Mike" Nader -- were charged with smuggling and illegally exporting firearms from Ohio to Lebanon, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced. Writing three indictments that were unsealed in the District Court on July 26, the U.S. Attorney's Office lays out separate smuggling schemes -- one with Ajaltouni and Issa, one with just Ajaltouni and the other just with Nader, though it is believed that Ajaltouni and Nader are acquaintances currently living near Batroun, Lebanon.
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From 2011 to 2014, Ajaltouni and Issa allegedly conspired to ship hundreds of firearms from Cleveland to Lebanon, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Ajaltouni allegedly bought firearms from various dealers and private sellers in the U.S., frequently attending gun shows and paying cash to buy the guns. To ship and conceal the weapons, Ajaltouni bought used cars that were then used to hide and store the weapons inside their doors and body panels, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The vehicles were then sent to Lebanon by ship, where the guns were removed from the vehicles and resold.