11. February 2002 at 00:00

Customs bust arms firm

Font size: A - | A +

Arms firm Unimpex Martin had a Sk31 million ($632,000) shipment of hydraulic presses for making artillery shells, destined for embargoed Myanmar, impounded at the Slovak-Hungarian border after customs officers found the firm had no license for the shipment, and had declared the machines as equipment for making shoes.

SkryťTurn off ads
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

Customs police became suspicious because the arms firm had never before been involved in the shoe trade.

Arms shipments from Slovakia to embargoed or 'high-risk' countries have come under scrutiny since the attacks last year on the US, with several suspicious weapons deals intercepted last fall in Bratislava.

SkryťClose ad