DOJ Files Forfeiture On $1.55m Aircraft Landing Gear Headed For Russia Detained At Miami International Airport

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a forfeiture on a Boeing 737-800 landing gear that was detained at Miami International Airport (MIA). According to the DOJ, the landing gear was purchased by an intermediary in Turkey.

Dual-use item

The DOJ stated that the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) detained the Boeing 737-800 landing gear at MIA on September 1, 2023. The part was purchased by a party based in Istanbul, Turkey: GQ Solution Elektronik Ekipman Limited Sirketi. The government entity added that the purchase was made on behalf of a Kyrgyzstani company, a shipper of dual-use items servicing Russia.

According to the DOJ, the story of the landing gear’s attempted journey to Russia began in July, when the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated US-based RM Design and Development (RMDD) as a Specially Designated National (SDN) for operating in Russia’s prohibited sectors. OFAC detailed that RMDD was established a month after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Nevertheless, with OFAC designating RMDD as a company that had shipped dual-use goods to Russia, the company sent an email to HML Aviation to switch the purchase to GQ Solution, describing the Turkish company as “partners.” Subsequently, all further invoices omitted RMDD as the buyer of the landing gear.

Related

How Are Sanctions Hamstringing The Production Of Russia’s Domestic Airliners?

Domestic Russian commercial jets are being delayed as they are re-designed with Russian-built parts.

Confirming the end user

HML Aviation is a Florida-based maintenance organization certified by both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The company’s website indicated that it was certified to work with certain Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG), 767, and 757 parts.

Photo: Lina Reshetnyk | Shutterstock

However, GQ Solution filed HML Aviation’s end-user form, with the Turkish company confirming that it will not export or re-export US-made products, technology, or software to any sanctioned country unless authorized by the US government, according to the DOJ.

“On Sept. 1, 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) alerted the shipper that it had detained the landing gear shipment at the airport in Miami.”

The DOJ said that the forfeiture action was part of the US efforts to enforce US export controls against Russia. However, the action was only an allegation, with two US attorneys leading the investigation into the smuggling of dual-use items to Russia.

Related

Moldovan Firms Brokered $15 Million Worth Of Aircraft Parts To Russia Despite Sanctions

Sanctions by the West were imposed in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Arrested after brokering parts worth more than $4.5 million

In another case detailed by the DOJ, it said that two Russian nationals pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA). The pair orchestrated parts redistribution from the US to Russia between May 2022 and May 2023.

Photo: Ranglen | Shutterstock

The DOJ, which published the case’s verdict on April 4, said that Russian airlines paid the two intermediaries, including one who owned a US-based company facilitating the purchase of parts, at least $4.5 million through Turkey-based banks. As part of a plea deal, the company’s owner agreed to forfeit assets and, separately, cash equivalent to $4.5 million.

Related

Russia In Talks With Turkey After Citizens Denied Boarding On Latin America Flights

Russians are complaining about being denied boarding at Istanbul for Latin America following stricter guidelines.