Iranian caught attempting to smuggle sniper rifles in the US

[towerclimber37]

did YOU hear about this in the MSM?

Full article here Arms cache tied to Mac - NewsRegister.com

Arms cache tied to Mac

Public Safety | Fri, 05/28/2010 - 2:59 pm | Read 3115 | Commented 2 | Emailed 1

By Paul Daquilante

When federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents served a search warrant last Wednesday on a storage unit in Ferndale, Wash., just south of the Canadian border, they discovered more than $30,000 worth of high-powered weaponry, including a .50-caliber sniper rifle.

The find was detailed in an affidavit filed by the Western District Court of Washington against illegal alien Iranian Hamid Malekpour, also known as Oliver King, about 35 years old.

Much of the weaponry was packed into boxes bearing shipping labels addressed to McMinnville Hunting & Police Supplies Inc., the affidavit states. The obscure business, located in a shuttered, unsigned office at 1900 N.E. Highway 99W, is owned by Amir Zarandi.

McMinnville does not require business licensing, according to City Attorney Candice Haines, but the state does. The gun dealership has been registered with the Secretary of State’s Corporation Division in the past, but missed its scheduled renewal date of May 11.

A small sign on the door indicates hours are by appointment only. Its website dead-ends with “under construction†notices.

Yamhill County Sheriff’s Capt. Ken Summers said he’d never heard of the business, and knew of no one in the department who had.

He said the sheriff’s office buys its firearms from Keith’s Sporting Goods in Gresham. He said he knows of no law enforcement agency that might deal with Zarandi.

City and county law enforcement personnel were also in the dark about the federal activity conducted in connection with the shop — and weren’t particularly happy about that.

Capt. Dennis Marks said McMinnville police were not contacted by ICE agents regarding the surveillance work they were engaged in, or about King.

“After he had been arrested, I believe, the sheriff faxed a copy of a story to the chief and asked if we were aware of this,†Marks said.

Chief Ron Noble replied in the negative, he said.

Sheriff Jack Crabtree said his office had not been notified either, which he found disturbing.

“I have been in contact with Chief Noble,†Crabtree said. “Initial inquiries have been made to federal agencies involved. Why were we not informed? I’ve been asked that by a lot of people.â€

Crabtree added, “We have a great relationship with agencies like the FBI and ICE. Quite frankly, I would have expected to be informed. This is not acceptable to me. Absolutely, we should have been informed.â€

He doesn’t believe local law enforcement agencies were intentionally ignored. He feels there was a lack of communcation at ICE’s end.

The McMinnville office building is owned by FH Project Inc. of Milwaukie, according to the Yamhill County Assessor’s office.

The business is registered with the state, with a scheduled renewal date of July 9. It is actively occupied by other tenants engaging in more open and better advertised modes of operation.

Agents started tailing King — the name on the passport he used both for recent visits to Iran and last week’s border crossing — in Blaine, Wash. They followed him to the McMinnville gun shop, where he is listed on the lease, and watched him load several boxes of high-powered firearms and ammunition there last Wednesday morning.

They then followed him back north to a storage facility in Ferndale, where they took him into custody.

King, who once held a Canadian gun dealer’s license under his given name of Malekpour, was charged with one count each of being an illegal alien in possession of firearms and ammunition and giving a false statement to a government agency. Both are felonies.

He made his initial appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court in Seattle before Federal Magistrate Mary Alice Theiler. He has a hearing on his custody status scheduled today.

According to a detention order, King was taken into custody on the basis of the felony charges, a belief he is a “serious flight risk†and a need to ensure the safety of people and communities.

Susan M. Roe, an assistant U.S. attorney, is prosecuting the case. King is being represented by Michael Martin of the Seattle law firm of Siderius Lonergan & Martin.

The affidavit, submitted by Jennifer Hinckley, ICE Special Agent in Blaine, alleges:

About 10:15 p.m. last Tuesday, King applied for entry to the United States at the Peace Arch Port of Entry in Blaine.

He told Customs and Border Protection officers he was entering to pick up his wife at a Target store at a mall in nearby Bellingham. However, agents have determined the store actually closed prior to King’s arrival at the border.

He presented a Canadian passport that had just been issued that morning. When questioned, he said his old passport had gone through the washing machine.

However, a subsequent search turned up his original Canadian passport, which showed no evidence of water damage and wouldn’t expire until 2013. It contained three visas for travel to Iran, two issued last year and one earlier this year.

According to the passport stamps, King traveled to Iran in the spring of both years. One of the visas is so current it won’t expire until next month.

Suspicious about King’s Target and passport stories, ICE agents began tailing him when he crossed the border. They quickly determined he had lied about going to the mall, because he drove past without stopping or picking anyone up.

He continued south on Interstate 5 to Chehalis, where he slept for a few hours. Then he drove south into Oregon, where he was tailed to the McMinnville gun shop.

He was seen entering the office complex, emerging with several cardboard boxes and loading them into his vehicle. He then headed back north, not stopping until he reached the storage facility in Ferndale, about 10 miles south of the border.

Confronted there by agents, King initially agreed to let them search his vehicle. That search turned up two shotguns, two semiautomatic handguns and about 480 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition, which they believe he picked up in McMinnville.

When King revoked permission for any further search without a warrant, the agents obtained a warrant to search a storage unit he was renting at the facility. In it, they found a .50-caliber sniper rifle, two .308-caliber sniper rifles, three .300-caliber sniper rifles, eight law enforcement style .223-caliber rifles, three Glock semi-automatic handguns, 100 .223-caliber magazines, 3,800 rounds of .223-caliber ammunition, various high-powered scopes and other equipment.

Crabtree marveled at the find.

“Have you ever seen a .50-caliber round?†he asked. “That’s a big round — the stuff you shoot at airplanes and tanks. If a bunch off .50-caliber rounds started going off in McMinnville ... â€

According to documents found in King’s car, he obtained a gun dealer’s license in Canada under his given name Hamid Malekpour.

The government revoked it at one point on the grounds he was selling firearms over the Internet, which is illegal under Canadian law, and keeping incomplete records. However, his dealer’s license may since have been reinstated and agents found he had six firearms currently registered under the name Malekpour.

At last week’s crossing, King listed his employment as a technical executive with Modeling Intelligence Corp. of Vancouver, B.C. A female associate was listed as the owner.

During the subsequent search of his car, agents found a document purporting to verify his employment with the firm. It was signed by the associate.

In the course of a previous crossing, King had produced a résumé listing him as a business consultant holding advanced degrees from the Wharton School of Business and Technical University of Denmark.

When questioned by agents about the cache in his car, which included all the .50-caliber ammunition, he claimed to be a hunter. As evidence, he produced a computer image of a recently expired North Dakota hunting license.

In his wallet, agents found a Canadian hunting license, issued the previous day in the name of Hamid Malekpour. They also found a valid British Columbia driver’s license in the name of King, issued in 2008, and a Canadian postal receipt from the previous day in the name of Malekpour.

Authorities aren’t sure yet of the legality of the King name, but say he was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1975 as Hamid Malekpour.

Regardless of the validity of the hunting licenses, the size and type of firearms and ammunition found in his car and storage unit are not consistent with recreational hunting, according to the affidavit.

King would not have been allowed into the U.S. at Blaine had he given accurate and true information as to his purpose for his visit — to engage in the interstate possession and transportation of firearms and ammunition, the affidavit states. Thus he is in the country illegally, it alleges.

According to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, a federal firearms license has been issued to someone at the address of the McMinnville gun shop, presumably Zarandi. However, Crabtree said no one by that name holds a concealed handgun license in Yamhill County.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Nope. I wonder how much of this happens every day? I also wonder about the Feds

not informing the local police? Is that normal?

[Smith]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with our boarders or illegal immigration now is there.

[Guest SUNTZU]

This thread is racist. I'm going to go stick my head in the sand.

[towerclimber37]

This thread is racist. I'm going to go stick my head in the sand.

[leroy]

Interesting read. We will probably get more interested in border security when these things start going off over the country.

Food for thought.

Leroy

[Smith]

Interesting read. We will probably get more interested in border security when these things start going off over the country.

Food for thought.

Leroy

Haven't yet. What's the death toll on the southern boarder? What's the kidnapping total?

[greenego]

This thread is racist. I'm going to go stick my head in the sand.

I will gladly stick my head in the sand if our so called leaders will get their heads out of their asses and do what they are Constitutionally obligated to do. Protect this country.

[USMCJG]

The most shocking part of this story is that ICE actually caught an illegal alien.

[Mike.357]

This thread is racist. I'm going to go stick my head in the sand.

get your head out of my sand pile

[Guest thorn]

He sounds like a regular TGO'er except he has a drivers license

Nope. I wonder how much of this happens every day?

Back in the mid 90's my brother lost his wallet and was using his passport to buy beer at a 7-11 in CA. The heavy accented man behind the counter asked him straight out if he'd sell the passport for $500.

Edited June 8, 2010 by thorn

[Guest bluecanary25]

This thread is racist. I'm going to go stick my head in the sand.

Only problem with your head in the sand....

When the Gubmint comes by, they inspect the situation.....

Looks both ways for any cameras.....

<zzziiipp> Your backside gets sore.

[Magiccarpetrides]

Very interesting story...thanks for the post

[mikegideon]

This thread is racist. I'm going to go stick my head in the sand.

Just wrap it in a big RAG first

[Guest HvyMtl]

What will close the borders? A big terrorist strike, where the terrorists walked across the border to do the deed. Sadly, until then, we will remain vulnerable...

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Interesting read. We will probably get more interested in border security when these things start going off over the country.

Food for thought.

Leroy

Until someone flips this issue into gun control v99.6 for us legals.

[Chief07]

Until someone flips this issue into gun control v99.6 for us legals.

You beat me to it.

I'm suprised Bloomberg hasn't called for more gun control.

Let's spend more money on political favors and not secure our borders.