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Two charged in plot to sell arms to Indonesia

From Mike Ahlers
CNN

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Indonesia
State Department

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Charges have been filed against two men accused of attempting to purchase more than $500,000 worth of military weapons and equipment, including Sidewinder missiles, and export them to Indonesia, U.S. customs officials said Wednesday.

Hadianto Djoko Djuliarso, 41, of Indonesia, and Ibrahim bin Amran, 46, of Singapore, were charged with money laundering and violating U.S. export laws, officials said.

The two men were arrested in Hawaii on Sunday, according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

In court papers, federal agents said the two men sent an e-mail to a representative of a U.S. company in April 2005, seeking to buy military aircraft parts for export to Indonesia.

The country was subject to a defense trade embargo at the time, and U.S. officials still reviewed transactions on a case-by-case basis, according to the State Department.

The next month, Amran traveled to England and met the representatives of the U.S. company. He told them that his company, PBJV Global, was a "transshipment" company, and that the true buyer was the Indonesian firm ATARU Indonesia, court papers said.

In subsequent messages, Amran allegedly sought prices for 245 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, hundreds of submachine guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Before their arrest, Djuliarso and Amran transferred more than $455,000 from Asia to U.S. banks to buy and ship weapons and gear, customs officials said.

In a separate case disclosed Wednesday, customs officials said they arrested a Singaporean man in San Diego on Monday on charges he attempted to export machine guns to Indonesia in violation of export laws.

Chia Kia Cheng, also known as Ronald "KC" Chia, 60, was charged with two felony counts after he allegedly paid undercover customs agents $3,280 for three automatic rifles and a scope.

The rifles were to be shipped to Indonesia, where they would be test fired before negotiating a larger purchase of weapons, the customs agency alleged.

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