Two businessmen, David Greenhalgh, 68, and Christos Farmakis, 48, have been sentenced to 16 years in prison each for their roles in illegal arms trafficking. They were found guilty of orchestrating arms deals worth tens of millions of pounds between 2009 and 2016. These deals involved supplying weapons such as ex-Soviet surface-to-air missile systems, MiG29 fighter jets, AK47 assault rifles, bombs, and anti-tank guided missiles to countries under international sanctions. These weapons were sent to unstable regions in Africa and the Middle East, often ending up in the hands of armed groups. The prosecution, led by Edward Burge KC, emphasized that the weapons were sold with no paperwork or UK licensing required. The court heard that Greenhalgh and Farmakis operated a deliberate and sophisticated criminal enterprise, driven by financial gain. Judge Sally-Ann Hales KC described the case as a long-standing illegal operation that circumvented UK and international arms embargoes. Farmakis, who fled before the trial, was convicted in his absence of nine similar charges. Greenhalgh was responsible for supplying Russian MiG29, Su25, and Su27 fighter jets, as well as Mil Mi-24V attack helicopters, to Sudan during the Darfur conflict between 2009 and 2011. The case was the result of a seven-year investigation by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) into violations of arms embargoes, making it one of the most significant arms trafficking cases to reach a UK court. During the trial, jurors were shown emails between the two men discussing how to deliver weapons to Iraq and other regions without revealing the end destinations to UK authorities. Greenhalgh used a network of companies registered in multiple countries, including the UK, Greece, North Macedonia, and South Sudan, to conduct the deals. He referred to these transactions as "sensitive projects" in his emails. His defense, led by James Hines KC, argued that Greenhalgh believed UK licensing requirements did not apply to his Greek co-defendant. However, Edwige Hill, deputy director of HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, stated that Greenhalgh deliberately bypassed export controls, forged documents, and used overseas companies to avoid detection.