Blackwater Probed For Weapons Smuggling

Feds Investigate Suspicions Security Firm Employees Sold Weapons On Black Market, Arming Terrorists

(CBS/AP)  Federal prosecutors are investigating whether employees of the private security firm Blackwater USA illegally smuggled weapons into Iraq that might have been sold on the black market and ended up in the hands of a U.S.-designated terror organization, U.S. officials say.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in North Carolina, where Blackwater is based, is handling the investigation with help from auditors of the Defense and State departments who have concluded enough evidence exists to file charges, the officials told The Associated Press on Friday.

George Holding, the U.S. attorney for the eastern district of North Carolina, has declined to comment, as have Pentagon and State Department spokesmen.

Officials with knowledge of the case said it is active, although at an early stage. They spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, which has heightened since 11 Iraqis were killed Sunday in a shooting involving Blackwater contractors protecting a U.S. diplomatic convoy in Baghdad.

The officials could not say whether the investigation would result in indictments, how many Blackwater employees are involved or if the company itself, which has won hundreds of millions of dollars in government security contracts since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, is under scrutiny.

Blackwater USA denied Saturday any involvement in illegal weapons smuggling through Iraq to Kurdish insurgents in Turkey, responding to reports the private security contractor is a target of federal prosecutors.

"Allegations that Blackwater was in any way associated or complicit in unlawful arms activities are baseless," the company said in a statement. "The company has no knowledge of any employee improperly exporting weapons."

In Saturday's editions, The News & Observer newspaper in Raleigh, North Carolina, reported that two former Blackwater employees - Kenneth Wayne Cashwell and William Ellsworth "Max" Grumiaux - are cooperating with federal investigators.

Cashwell and Grumiaux pleaded guilty in early 2007 to possession of stolen firearms that had been shipped in interstate or foreign commerce, and aided and abetted another in doing so, according to court papers viewed by The Associated Press. In their plea agreements, which call for a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the men agreed to testify in any future proceedings.

Calls to defense attorneys were not immediately returned Friday evening, and calls to the telephone listings for both men also were not returned.

The News and Observer, citing unidentified sources, reported that the probe was looking at whether Blackwater had shipped unlicensed automatic weapons and military goods to Iraq.

The paper's report that the company itself was under investigation could not be confirmed by AP.

In a related story earlier this week, CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reported that, according to an intelligence source, a shipment of artillery intended for U.S.-backed forces in Iraq was lost - and later found in the hands of the enemy.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ordered a review of security practices for U.S. diplomats in Iraq following a deadly incident involving Blackwater USA guards protecting an embassy convoy.

Rice's announcement came as the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad resumed limited diplomatic convoys under the protection of Blackwater outside the heavily fortified Green Zone after a suspension because of the weekend incident in that city.

Meanwhile, Interior Ministry spokesman spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said Iraqi investigators have a videotape that shows Blackwater guards opened fire against civilians without provocation in an incident Sept. 20 in Baghdad, from which 11 people died. He said they are expanding their investigation to include several other incidents involving Blackwater in which civilians have been killed or wounded.

In the United States, officials in Washington said the smuggling investigation grew from internal Pentagon and State Department inquiries into U.S. weapons that had gone missing in Iraq. It gained steam after Turkish authorities protested to the U.S. in July that they had seized American arms from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, rebels.

The Turks provided serial numbers of the weapons to U.S. investigators, said a Turkish official.

The Pentagon said in late July it was looking into the Turkish complaints and a U.S. official said FBI agents had traveled to Turkey in recent months to look into cases of U.S. weapons that have gone missing in Iraq.

Investigators are determining whether the alleged Blackwater weapons match those taken from the PKK.

It was not clear whether Blackwater employees suspected of selling to the black market knew the weapons they allegedly sold to middlemen might wind up with the PKK. If they did, possible charges against them could be more serious than theft or illegal weapons sales, officials said.

The PKK, which is fighting for an independent Kurdistan, is banned in Turkey, which has a restive Kurdish population, and is considered a "foreign terror organization" by the State Department. That designation bars U.S. citizens or those in U.S. jurisdictions from supporting the group in any way.

The North Carolina investigation was first brought to light by State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard who mentioned it, perhaps inadvertently, this week while denying he had improperly blocked fraud and corruption probes in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Krongard was accused in a letter by Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee in the House of Representatives, of politically motivated malfeasance, including refusing to cooperate with an investigation into alleged weapons smuggling by a large, unidentified State Department contractor.

In response, Krongard said in a written statement that he "made one of my best investigators available to help Assistant U.S. Attorneys in North Carolina in their investigation into alleged smuggling of weapons into Iraq by a contractor."

His statement went further than Waxman's letter because it identified the state in which the investigation was taking place. Blackwater, based in North Carolina, is the biggest of the State Department's three private security contractors.

The other two, Dyncorp and Triple Canopy, are based in northern Virginia's suburbs of Washington, D.C, outside the jurisdiction of the North Carolina's attorneys.

Associated Press Writers Matthew Lee, Mike Baker in Raleigh, N.C., and Desmond Butler and Lara Jakes Jordan in Washington contributed to this report.

[pastdue1]

Should this not be a headline on every newspaper and in every media outlet in the USA? Why can''t the American media inform the American people about what is really going on? At least, put it out there for everyone to see.

[keithle1]

Private companies/contractors wouldn''t do this kind of thing. Money isn''t the only thing on their minds.

[forthepeopl1]

YES THE 200 THOUSAND THAT ARE MISSING WERE SOLD TO IRAQ SUNNIE AND HAVE BEEN KILLING OUR TROOPS.

BUT THE REP DONT CARE ABOUT THAT, SPECIALY LINDSEY GRAM,S.C. SENATOR SOUTH CAROLINA PEOPLE SHOULD HANG HIM FOR BACKING BUSH/CHENEY HIS LOVERS

[prinzowhales]

I missed the press conference where Fearless Leader castigated MoveOn for daring to attack Barney''s protege, General Betrayus...I wonder if he will address in his next press ''conference'', the Regime''s success in discovering who was arming the ''terrorists'' that have been killing our soldiers...unless he can show that Eric Prince is simply a front man for Quds Force, I think the answer is pretty much self-evident.

It should be a pretty easy matter to discover where the arms came from...if you ever checked a weapon out of a military armory you know who has it and who is responsible for it.

Looks like Dyncorp is charge of the white slavery rackets while Blackwater covers illegal arms dealing.

Chiquita Banana was just fined for funding terrorists--which is really rich...one can only imagine Carmen Miranda dressed up as the Chiquita Banana Lady, opening up her little purse and pulling out $25 million while singing, " ''"I''m Chiquita Banana and I''ve come to say, Bananas have to ripen in a certain way... Bananas like the climate of the very very tropical equator, So you should never put bananas in the refrigerator..." or give terrorists the time of day.'' Not surprisingly, no real corporate crook went to jail for this crime...only the corporate Golum took the fall.

[rafterman1]

Of course they are involved with this. They are mercenaries, guns and muscle for hire. And the government acts like they are surprised this would happen.

[mh4cbs1]

Blackwater Probed for Weapons Smuggling!

You can''t make this stuff up! Is this NEOCON NIGHTMARE really happening?

Could our very own Blackwater civilian-murdering terrorists be selling our weapons to the Iraqi resistance?

Maybe they think they are helping to repel a foreign occupation of Iraq, by a nation that created a pretext of LIES to justify the Invasion and theft of the vast Iraqi Oil Reserves?

Maybe Blackwater just wanted to keep the war going? It is after all very profitable when you are making 10 times the money that the US troops are making.

Maybe they kill civilians because it is good target practice. Why not? There are no laws against it! They are not subject to US laws, Iraqi laws, or even the military code of conduct.

Maybe they want more of the $$ action, since they see all the other corporations looting the American treasury, like Cheney''s Haliburton, the Carlye Group and countless other politically connected sleazy War Profiteers.

This Horrific, Needless WAR OF AGGRESSION was all based on WMD and Saddam-link LIES. Deliberate LIES from Cheney, Rumsfeld, Tenet and even Bush (to the extent he even knows what is really going on). And this is a WAR CRIME, for which

BUSG and CHENEY belong in JAIL!!!

[soldat44]

Not surprised.

[feelfree1]

Re: "Blackwater Probed For Weapons Smuggling"

"Probed", you say? I would strongly recommend a cavity search, just to be sure.

You just can''t be too careful when it comes to terrorists-for-rent, like the greedy, amoral murderers and scumbags from Blackwater.

[pastdue1]

"A company source acknowledged to CNN that two Blackwater employees were fired for buying guns with Blackwater money and selling them without the consent or knowledge of the company. It was not clear where the arms were bought and sold. CNN"

Blackwater is saying only two employees were involved. Only the bush administration and congress will believe this. This really should be kept on the front burner ~ particularly on TV, which is where most people get their news. Hopefully the comedians will pick it up also. It isn''t funny, but at least, they can get it out to the public. It''s the people''s right to know and the Media''s responsibility to let them know.

[forthepeopl1]

Comment by Senator Lindsey Graham, (R-South Carolina)
Commentary from U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) - Sep 20, 2007
"The Webb amendment intended to take care of the troops. I don''t question anyone''s intent, but if you really want to take care of the troops let them win.

"The amendment was one of the more ill-advised approaches to fighting the War on Terror. It was a historic constitutional infringement on the power of the Commander in Chief allowing Congress to micromanage troop rotations and deployments.

"The last thing in the world we should do to our troops -- particularly in the name of helping them -- is to put 535 Members of Congress in charge of troop rotations as we fight the War on Terror. With an approval rating below 20 percent, Congress has not risen to the level of being visionary leaders.

"I''m very pleased the Senate rejected this ill-advised amendment."

and lindsey say says it ok to continue this because of the kick back he is getting..

[antoniof123]

Unbelievable but what do you except from the GOP they will try to cover it up. They don''t care and Senator Webb you do have America''s support but you GOP members guess the only thing you have in mind is the money that keeps rolling in at our young men and womens expense. I hope that you have a place to spend it in hel1.

[condumism]

Several major GOP donors in 2004 are now donating monies entirely to Democratic candidates for 2008. The reason? Republicons clearly now nothing more than reicht winged, America hating extremists. FACT: GOP does not back stem cell research, GOP denies global warming, GOPigs needless War on Terror, massive US debt, the worthless dollar, excessive big government are more than enough to send past GOP donors to give monies instead to the Democratic Party. This is verificatin that the Republicon Party is now nothing more than a group of Confederate extremists, committing treason against the USA on a daily basis, that can no longer hide their hatred from America. Proof? Real conservatives are now backing Democrats (FOX News Rubert Murdoch now a major Hillary Clinton supporter and donor) leaving the GOP to pander to its Religious and Fascist Southern GOPig Base. Hey ConDumbs, name one minority that will be voting Republicon in 2008? America is now a nation that has forgotten its past (the McCarthy hearings of the early 1950s, so America now has no future!) Proof: $1 = $1.40 Euros!

[hawksprings]

Meanwhile (almost)NOTHING is being reported about Mrs. Bill Clinton''s campaign fundraising illegalities taking money from foreigners (again) thereby totally corrupting her campaign.

Aren''t any liberals outraged by that?

The Clintons are as crooked as OJ.

...

[hungry1968]

Private companies/contractors wouldn''t do this kind of thing. Money isn''t the only thing on their minds.
Posted by Keithle1 at 09:44 AM : Sep 22, 2007



Are you kidding?

They would soak an elementary school with gas, and burn 1,000 school kids to death if they thought they could make a buck.

Do you think Bush''s buddy "Kenny Boy" (Ken Lay), gave a *** about *** 100,000''s of thousands of people out of their retirement funds? 70 and 80 year olds had to go to work, because their entire nest eggs were wiped out to the tune of almost a billion dollars.

[j-whitman]

hawksprings,,,,, Well duhhhhhh --- This article is about Blackwater not Hillary.... Can''t address the issue, stop trying to divert it -

----- It''s Bush/Cheney who values private contractors over thier hatered for military service & the Troops

[glossypan]

Contract services in a Iraq often go through a multitude of subcontractors. In March 2004 when four Blackwater employees were killed and their bodies dragged through the streets of Fallujah, their contract appears to have originated with KBR, a spinoff of Halliburton Corporation, a Dubai company. They subcontracted to Regency Hotels, a Kuwaiti company. They gave Blackwater $600 per day to be paid each employee plus 36% markup. The US Army refuses to confirm if they paid KBR/Halliburton or if there were more links on the chain.
All of the companies involved in contractor scandals have close ties to the masterminds of the Iraq strategy. AEGIS, a London company reaping millions of US taxpayer dollars and famous for employees posting video clips of target practice on Iraqi automobiles is closely allied with Tony Blair, our British friend.

Most of the facts in this story are easily verifiable from the free digital edition of The Raleigh News & Observor Sept 29 2006. One of the AEGIS videos is still available at this url: http://www.flurl.com/uploaded/Bareknucklepoliticscom_EXCLUSIVE_10122.html

[conserva-2009]

www.conservativemusiconline.com

What can I say? I give Hillary, Edwads, Sean Penn and that whole pathetic Hollywood crowd the treatment--to music! Someone had to do it!
www.conservativemusiconline.com

[v_1618]

WHAT A CORRUPT NIGHTMARE... AND THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS IS THE SAME ****....

[drummer94]

AHHHHH. More evidence that loony-toon''s adventure in Iraqis bitinghis behind. I''ll bet the folks over there are just lovin what democracy can bring them. (That''s sarcasm for all you pea-brained gophers). Hmmm, now do we know what happened to all those AK''s? And how many times can the folks in charge say,basically, no comment? And those that do speak on condition of anonymity. Everybody''s lookin'' for a chair for when the music stops.

[hungry1968]

Posted by conserva at 11:34 AM : Sep 22, 2007


What a coincidence!

Bin Laden considers himself a conservative. So did Hitler, Mussolini, Hirohito, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Yassir Arafat, the Ayatollah Khomeini, and George Bush.

You''re in some pretty exclusive company!!

[itraveler-2009]

Cant''t believe it!! This article is about the possibility of mercenaries selling weapons to the enemy and some moron starts taling about the Clintons!!

If these guys did this, they should hang!!

[hungry1968]

WHAT A CORRUPT NIGHTMARE... AND THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS IS THE SAME ***....
Posted by v_1618 at 11:36 AM : Sep 22, 2007


Just wait. Because Bush "cut and ran" from the REAL war on terror, instead of his made up one, bin Laden is still on the loose. Now he is planning on overthrowing the Pakistani government that we KNOW has nukes in their arsenal. What are we going to do when this happens? All of our resources are tied up in Iraq, for no reason, and the ACTUAL war in Afghanistan is being lost, (the Taliban is making a comeback).

What do we do, when bin Laden gets his hands on Pakistan''s nukes?

[hungry1968]

Cant''t believe it!! This article is about the possibility of mercenaries selling weapons to the enemy and some moron starts taling about the Clintons!!
Posted by itraveler at 11:46 AM : Sep 22, 2007


That''s the only argument that the right can ever post, which is really twisted. Basically what they''re saying is:

"Okay we admit that George Bush is ruining our country, killing our troops, wasting our money, and making us less safe, BUT when it comes to the Clinton''s...."

[j-whitman]

hungry1968,,,, Bush cut & ran when Vincinte Fox offered him a ride on his horse.

[drummer94]

I wonder where all the usal suspects are today on this article? Would love to hear the right-wings spin on this. Even hawk didn''t hang long.

[omega39-2009]

I wonder where all the usal suspects are today on this article? Would love to hear the right-wings spin on this. Even hawk didn''''t hang long.

Posted by drummer94

What could the say? Muddy would go into her usual tirade of Clinton selling weapons to the Chinese, lars would spam the board with alleged Jefferson quotes, and Screen idiot aka didn''t inhale would make sure no one got to say anything. Bush is blameless with them, the buck stops with everyone else.

[nothappyatall]

LOL why am I NOT surprised? the perfect way to ensure youhave a job is CREATE one- sell arms to those your job depends on so that you HAVE a job.
This is like the anti-virus software companies'' practice of slipping new virus and worms out their backdoors so that they can rake in the cash providing virus software UPDATES, new sales and ''claning'' of infected drives- it''s perfect, they ALWAYS have the fixes for every virus so fast, ever wonder HOW that is?
Just like Blacksewer- arms out the backdoor, keeps them in business fighting the recipients at the front door.

[drummer94]

Ain''t that what makes it fun beatin the snot outta them omega39? They just can''t stand to be refuted then next thing you know, POOF! their gone.

[mh4cbs1]

Bush furthers his lead against Osama!

Score in murdered innocent civilians is:

Osama: 3,500
Bush: 75,000 (documented, actual is many times this)


Baghdad - The Voices of Iraq news agency reported that US forces in Iraq killed Saturday a family of seven, who were suspected of being connected to an armed militia.

The agency quoted an official source from Babel police department as saying the incident occurred in Alexandria north of Babel, 100 kilometres south of Baghdad. The US forces are said to have shot the Iraqi family. ''The US forces then blew up the house''

It''s not just the US Blackwater mercenary terrorists that kill innocent civilians.

[mh4cbs1]

In 2008 we need to replace the Lying Warmongering Administration, GOP congressmen AND any complicit disgusting spineless Democrat representative that has been cowering in Bush fear doing nothing to stop the NEOCON NIGHTMARE

[radiob-2009]

Job insurance,IWAQ, no need for unemployment.

[sgtrds]

It''s way past time to get these psychotic mercenaries out of Iraq, where they never should have been allowed in the first place.

[j-whitman]

Another fact, Bush won''t tell America --- We have secruity in less than half of Baghdad.... The rest is just as violent as before

[greco99-2009]

Blackwater is a bidder for a massive drug-war outsourcing contract. see: www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=3039345&C=america

How would you like these guys running around latin american (and the US) with loads of guns and drugs The contractors probably receive immunity to handle drugs as part of the deal.

Call your representative and demand that Blackwater is excluded from any future bids until the investigation is done and they provide transparency to regulators!

Pass this on...

[sgtrds]

These Blackwater as*sholes are nothing more then terrorists in American style uniforms. When they slaughter innocent people the families of the people they killed don''t know or care that they are noting more then lunatic murderers with a license to kill. All they see are Americans in uniform killing their families. All they see is us. besides most of the Blackwater types are deranged to the point where they couldn''t make it in the real military or see themselves as some sort of Rambo. They not only need to be taken out of Iraq, but tried for murder, though I suspect most of them could escape that on an insanity defense, as their insanity is obvious to all.

[prairiefox1]

THEY LEARNED FROM THEIR GREAT WHITE FATHER, THE BUSHWHACKER HIMSELF!
WHY DID WE VOTE THIS MORON IN TO OFFICE? HIS INSANITY SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE PUBLIC! THAT HAS TO BE THE ANSWER! BUT THE HOLD-ON SUPPORTERS HAVE TO BE CONFIRMED IDIOTS!

[radiob-2009]

Conversation between two "mental giants"

On my first day of Jr. High I was in Geography class, and the teacher asked us if anybody knew the names of the continents. And I was sooo excited. I was like, Damnit! It''s my first day of 7th grade, I''m in jr high and I know this answer. So I raised my hand I was the first one and I said A-E-I-O-U.
Jessica Simpson


"This foreign policy stuff is a little frustrating." -George W. Bush, as quoted by the New York Daily News, April 23, 2002

Is that weird, taking my Louis Vuitton bag camping?
Jessica Simpson

My trip to Asia begins here in Japan for an important reason. It begins here because for a century and a half now, America and Japan have formed one of the great and enduring alliances of modern times. From that alliance has come an era of peace in the Pacific." -George W. Bush, who apparently forgot about a little something called World War II, Tokyo, Feb. 18, 2002

I have to go... drop some kids in the pool.
Jessica Simpson

[sgtrds]

prairiefox1

I think it''s Bush and Cheney. Both of them were complete gutless cowards during Vietnam and now are living out their war fantasies vicariously through the troops and their private Army. Also they see no difference between mercenaries like Blackwater and our military because they think they''re both their private Army to do their killing and stealing with. They''ve used our troops as nothing more then a weapon to rob other countries and to make a fortune doing it. At least by using Blackwater they''re more open about their crimes, even if it''s the American taxpayers who are paying for them too.

[menofoz]

%u201CWho gives a flying f u c k what the polls say,%u201D he screamed at a recent strategy meeting. %u201CI%u2019m the President and I%u2019ll do whatever I g o d d a m n e d please. They don%u2019t know s h i t.%u201D [Capitol Hill Blue 8/25/05]


Has the Bush Administration created Nazi-Like Waffen-SS Troops in ...And this time the Blackwater boys were not protecting supplies. ... and set up an American Federal Empire Regime with Blackwater as his Waffen-SS Troops%u2026 ...
suzieqq.wordpress.com/2007/09/19/has-the-bush-administration-created-nazi-like-waffen-ss-troops-in-america/ - 261k - Cached - Similar pages

[cdfoxtrot]

Whattya expect?? They''re mercenaries. They''re in business to sell guns, their services, etc. to the highest bidder.

[menofoz]

It''''s way past time to get these psychotic mercenaries out of Iraq, where they never should have been allowed in the first place.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by SgtRDS at 12:57 PM : Sep 22, 2007

Blackwater,
Send um all to Iraq the USA doesn''t want or need them here at home.

[sgtrds]

Whattya expect?? They''''re mercenaries. They''''re in business to sell guns, their services, etc. to the highest bidder.

Posted by cdfoxtrot at 01:26 PM : Sep 22, 2007

War ******............

[sgtrds]

Send um all to Iraq the USA doesn''''t want or need them here at home.

Posted by menofoz at 01:29 PM : Sep 22, 2007

That''s true in the sense that at least over there they''re not here forming Bush''s praetorian guard or Brownshirts. Though I''m sure he and Cheney will get around to that, esp if they''re ignorant (arrogant) enough to attack Iran. They''ll need a private army to keep from being dragged out of the White House and lynched by real Americans.

[menofoz]

"Terrorism is the best political weapon for nothing drives people harder than a fear of sudden death." - Adolph Hitler



U.S. President George W Bush ... defended the war in Iraq, telling Americans the United States was forced into war because of the Sept 11 terror strikes. [Japan Today 17/06/05]

Bush is a war criminal for lying the U.S. into the Iraq war and conducting it in violation of both U.S. and International law. Perhaps he should be prosecuted before he commits yet more war crimes.

[menofoz]

The officials could not say whether the investigation would result in indictments,


I predict this investigation will go nowhere and will be tossed into the pile where 9/11 and every investigation since the 2000 election has gone.

[drummer94]

Can''t ya just see these guys coming back to the States and get jobs as cops? Freakin spooky thought.

[myidoncbs]

mercenary /n/

The lowest form of life on the planet, a mercenary is a murderer who earns a "living" by killing other people. The mercenary "lifestyle" is often considered the highest form of insanity. However, the cowardly fools who hire them exceed their level of insanity by an unimaginable degree. See Bush, Cheney.

[menofoz]

Sunday, July 15, 2007
Need Another 9/11? One Republican Thinks So
Before 9/11 certain Republican leaders said that what this country needed was another Pearl Harbor to wake it up and get it behind the Republican agenda. Presto! 9/11 came along and sure enough, now we have the Department of Homeland Security and the Patriot Act and gone are many Constitutional rights, habeas corpus and our system of checks and balances


Posted on Thu, Aug. 9, 2007

Right Wing Whack job, Stu Bykofsky | To save America, we need another 9/11

Arkansas Republican Party Chairman Dennis Milligan told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on June 3,

I think all we need is some attacks on American soil like we had on [Sept. 11, 2001 ], and the naysayers will come around very quickly to appreciate not only the commitment for President Bush, but the sacrifice that has been made by men and women to protect this country,%u201D Milligan said.

[vastr-wcon]

.
The DickNBush Gestapo is back in business. Seems there is no limit in DickNBush world to the number of people who are "above the law". Like DickNbush, these are a bunch of incompetent thugs. The investigation of Blackwater needs to very broad and thorough.

.