European Union is turning a blind eye to money launderers and illegal arms dealers.
Terrorism has tighten its grip on the world in last few years. A few terror attacks in the Middle East and Asia were of such magnitude that they even shook the basics of humanity. Be it Taliban or Islamic State terrorist organisations, all of them ruled on humans and tortured them brutally. The dominance of terrorists are long stretched in the regions of Syria, Iran, and Afghanistan due to political benefits and corrupt men in power.
Besides corrupt people handling the legal system of the vulnerable countries, illegal arms dealers risked the national security of war-prone regions by supplying weapons to the terrorist groups. At least 48 % of the weapons delivered to Syria and Iran originate from EU, while 34 % from Russia and the remaining from Asia and the US.
Illegal arms dealers like Tony Abi Saab are helping terrorists to survive in the war-torn countries by getting help from his European friend cum business partner. For Tony smuggling weapons are a cake walk. He imports guns and related ammunition from Italian firms to Lebanon, mainly—Beretta and Tanfoglio.
His main company, Brescia Middle East, an international arms dealer, sold weapons to the terrorists active in Syria, Iran, and Afghanistan despite knowing the consequences. He is running shell companies in the Middle East and Europe, the weapons imported to Lebanon are distributed to his shell companies for packaging and re-routing to terrorist regions.
His Middle East ghost companies are K5 Global, G2Armory, Brixia, Tactica Ltd, and SIMAINT. Other networking companies of Tony are in Italy-- ARMERIA AMELIO GAMBA Srl, INTESA SANPAOLO S.P.A., Benelli Armi, franchi division, Fiocchi munizione, Armeria brignoli silvio & c snc , BLS; in Germany-- Umarex gmbh & co KG; in France-- Noble france sa; in Turkey-- Osmanli Arms, ISTANBUL and KONYA, KOMANDO AV SAN TIC LTD, ATA Av tufekleri, in Bangladesh-- Emran arms; in Georgia-- Kula Ltd., Tiblisi; in Russia-- LOBASTOV IVAN, Baikal Ltd, Izhevsk city; in Bulgaria—Arsenal; in Czech Republic--MSN and CSG Group; in Ukrain--Berkut Ltd; in Brasil—Condor. Tony wires money to these companies to purchase weapons from them, to meet the extravagant demands of the terrorists.
This illegal business of Tony has been running for over a decade keeping Lebanon, the base of the trade. What is strange is that nobody knew about his covert business till the team of FBI, CIA and the US Army unmasked the fraudster Tony in 2011. The Europeans were silent, the Middle Eastern were silent too. All the illicit work was developing and growing because of a few powerful businessmen were ruling in the legal system of these countries. The EU manufactured weapons were found from the terrorists active in Syria and Iran. The government body formed to save the humans from any terror attacks was itself working against them. For sure, it won't be all corrupt officers involved in this grievous crime of arming terrorists for profits, but one or two, who made the smuggling of EU-produced weapons possible.
Unless people like Tony are stopped from doing illegal arms business, innocent civilians would suffer and the peace of the world would be disturbed. EU can control the menace of arms smuggling by marking and tracing weapons. This can be done by surveilling brokers, covering transports, and even extraterritoriality. There must be careful evaluation of arms export license and end-user certificate.