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Posted: 2/22/2011 9:58:47 PM EDT
Sabre Defence Executives Indicted on Illegal Gun Running Charges, and Company Assets Auctioned OFF
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Sabre Defence Executives Indicted on Illegal Gun Running Charges, and Company Assets Auctioned OFF
By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com February 17, 2011 Exactly one year ago tomorrow, DefenseReview (DR) reported on a BATFE raid on AR-15 rifle/carbine manufacturer Sabre Defence Industries over alleged illegal weapons sales. Well, things are once again getting pretty interesting over at Sabre Defence on the (criminal) legal side. On February 8, 2011, the Nashville Business Journal (NBJ) reported that five Sabre Defence executives, including Sabre’s “United Kingdom (UK)-based owner and self-proclaimed “Lord of War” Guy Savage, 42; Nashville President Charles Shearon, 55, of Ashland City; CFO Elmer Hill, 64, of Brentwood; Director of Sales Michael Curlett, 44, of Hermitage; and International Shipping and Purchasing Manager Arnold See, Jr., 54, of Antioch” were the beneficiaries of a 21-count federal indictment related to the Arms Export Control Act (AECA). From the looks of it, the Sabre 5 are being charged with just about everything short of murder and kidnapping. To hear the U.S. Attorney tell it, you’d think the second incarnation of the Barker Gang was running the place. The indictment alleges that the Sabre 5 have “conspired to intentionally violate the AECA by exporting firearm components without a license or written authorization since 2003.” O.k., so that sounds bad. How did the defendants allegedly violate the law? According to the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, the indicted individuals allegedly “falsified shipping records, concealed firearms components in false bottoms of shipping cartons and mislabled shipments to avoid scrutiny from customs and border control officers.” Ahhh, the old hide-the-weapons-components-in-the-secret-compartment trick. If the allegations are true, somebody obviously forgot to read Gun Running for Dummies and How to Smuggle Guns and Influence People, both of which specifically advise against this particular smuggling tactic. His Lordship (Savage) was recently arrested in England, and U.S. authorities are apparently requesting extradition. On February 17, 2011, it was reported that Savage stated that he’s guilty of violating certain firearms regulations, but not weapons smuggling, according to British media reports. While we’ve met Mr. Savage at past SHOT Shows, DefenseReview can’t really attest to the man’s character one way or the other. We don’t really know him. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but that’s about it. If he was hiding any illegal weapons in his pants on any of those occasions, we couldn’t tell. He was definitely wearing pants, though. Of the five indictees, Defense Review has had the most contact with Mike Curlett, who’s always been both curteous and professional with us, including recently at SHOT Show 2011. We should note that we’ve had zero contact with Mr. Curlett or anyone else at Sabre since the indictment was reported. DR hopes the allegations are false, and that the accused Sabre executives didn’t do what’s being alleged in the indictment. They’ve always been both nice and accommodating to us at their booth, and we do like their products. Anyway, that’s not the totality of the recent intrigue at Sabre. As if a five-man, 21-count federal indictment isn’t enough, and to add insult to injury, Sabre reportedly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this week, and the company’s assets have apparently already been auctioned off. DR will try to find out who bought them. Sabre Defence has a reputation for making excellent products, including complete firearms (AR-15 rifles/carbines) and barrels. Their rifle/carbine offerings include gas piston/op-rod ARs that utilize Adams Arms piston system kits. DR has heard some very positive things about Sabre Defence products, so we hope the company can continue doing business under the new ownership. The one silver lining in all this is that Sabre is a British-owned company. So, if the allegations are eventually proven true, we can just blame it on the British. Speaking of the “Lord of War“, great movie. Disclaimer: Gun Running for Dummies and How to Smuggle Guns and Influence People are not actual books and don’t actually exist. They constitute artistic license by the author of this article. Company and Organization Contact Info: Sabre Defence Industries, LLC 450 Allied Drive Nashville, TN 37211 USA Phone: 615-333-0077 Fax: 615-333-6229 Email Contact Form Website: http://www.sabredefence.com |
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A copy of an article in the Daily Mail that was linked to a response I received to an enquiry on the status of an order with SDI-UK:
The Lord of War from suburbia: After dramatic arrest, arms boss faces extradition to the U.S. over claims he smuggled weapons to Iraq By Stephen Wright, Paul Bentley and Daniel Bates In New York Last updated at 2:13 AM on 15th February 2011 A British arms dealer who called himself the ‘Lord of War’ is facing extradition to the United States after he was dramatically seized near his £800,000 suburban home. Officers from Scotland Yard’s elite firearms squad shot out the tyres of Guy Savage’s Mercedes and threw stun grenades in an early morning ambush. Public-school educated Savage, 42, is accused of smuggling weapons to Iraq and the Middle East. Gun-toting: Guy Savage shows off a weapon. Police seized a huge arsenal, including assault rifles, weapons components and ammunition, at his home Later a huge arsenal of weapons, including assault rifles, weapons components and ammunition was found in a raid on the married father-of-two’s house in Pinner, North-West London, and at his business premises a few miles away in Northolt. Last night sources said more than 500 ‘complete’ guns had been found. Four Americans are accused of being involved with Savage, owner of a company called Sabre Defence Industries, in a multi-million-pound racket to illegally export weapons in crates with false bottoms and forging shipping records. His arrest has caused acute concern at the Home Office, after claims that he had acted as adviser to ministers on firearms policy. Last night, a spokesman would only confirm that the Home Secretary, Theresa May, had ‘revoked’ a firearms authority on the advice of the Metropolitan Police. An internal inquiry has begun into how Savage, who has a conviction from the mid-1990s for possessing and selling prohibited pump action and semi-automatic rifles, had been awarded a firearms certificate. He is due to appear before City of Westminster magistrates this morning for the start of what promise to be lengthy extradition proceedings. The family home: Savage's house in Pinner. He faces being jailed for up to 20 years and fined up to $1million on each of the more serious charges He has been indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury on charges relating to international firearms and trafficking violations. He faces being jailed for up to 20 years and fined up to $1million on each of the more serious charges. The indictment alleges that Savage directed the illegal activities from his personal residences in the UK, as well as from a related company owned by him, Sabre Defence Industries LTD (SDI-UK), which is a licensed manufacturer, distributor and importer of firearms and firearms headquartered in the UK. The U.S. indictment includes a number of revealing emails. Savage wrote to a Finnish arms company he deals with on July 25 2004: ‘This Iraq situation has companies banging on our door for M16s because we are the only supplier outside the U.S. since the State Department has a lump of granite up their a**** with exporting machine guns to anywhere.’ 'He liked to call himself Lord of War after that Nicolas Cage film – that’s just how arrogant this guy was – but he was operating in North London' A source close to the investigation Last night a source close to the U.S. investigation told the Mail: ‘Savage was a brutal boss and he never ever took no for an answer. He had an ego that reached across the Atlantic and he thought he was untouchable. ‘He liked to call himself Lord of War after that Nicolas Cage film – that’s just how arrogant this guy was – but he was operating in North London and not some remote camp in Afghanistan. ‘There were up to several orders every month worth tens of thousands of pounds and this has been going on for almost a decade, so the chances are he is a very wealthy man.’ Savage, a former pupil of the £5,000 a term Highgate School in North London, was seized last Tuesday. A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: ‘At around 8.30am, I was looking out my window and Guy drove past in his Mercedes estate. The cars that were parked quickly blocked him off and officers jumped out and started shooting. They blew his tyres. ‘They threw four stun grenades and you could feel the vibrations in my house. They grabbed Guy from the car and pinned him to the ground. I heard him say, “I’m not resisting, don’t hurt me”.’ In 1996, Savage – who that year had blamed families of the Dunblane massacre for ruining his livelihood – won a controversial court fight to continue dealing in firearms. He caused outrage when he said the families’ ‘hysteria and blind fury’ had left him and other dealers broke. He had been banned from possessing and trading in guns in April 1994 on the grounds he was a danger to the public. This came after a large cache of prohibited weapons was found at premises in St John’s Wood, North London. He spent two years fighting the Metropolitan Police Commissioner’s decision to revoke his firearms licence. A judge ruled in his favour but criticised his remarks about Dunblane and even his own barrister said his client had an ‘unattractive’ personality. |
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