MIAMI, Florida (Aug 20 2004)
Boxes of guns fell from the false ceiling of a storage unit, crashed into a toilet and ruptured a water pipe, leading authorities to uncover an alleged plot to sell the weapons to arm opposing sides in Colombia's civil war.
Five defendants from Miami-Dade County pleaded innocent Thursday to charges of firearms sales and exports to Venezuela, where prosecutors say the weapons were to be sold to left-wing Colombian rebels and right-wing paramilitary groups. A sixth defendant, from Homestead, is a fugitive.
It was not immediately clear if they had attorneys.
Investigators confiscated 55 firearms, including 20 automatic guns, 19 rifles and nine handguns, from the storage unit. They also seized more than 206,000 rounds of ammunition.
Authorities say the motive of the alleged conspiracy was profits, not politics. "They were essentially preparing to arm an army," U.S. Attorney Marcos Jimenez said.
If convicted, each defendant could face at least 10 years in prison.
The alleged conspiracy was discovered June 12, when tenants using a garage-bay storage space noticed water leaking into their units from a neighboring space. They broke in and found the damaged toilet and the guns.
Authorities said they discovered more weapons caches in warehouses, shipping containers and a Homestead home, and set up a phony arms shipment last month.
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