Three Ghanaians Held in Conspiracy to Purchase Arms
NEWARK, N.J. — Customs agents arrested three Ghanaian nationals Sunday on charges that they conspired to buy missiles, anti-aircraft guns and other weapons to arm a 100-member group in the African nation.
The three men were captured at a parking lot near Newark International Airport after a meeting with an undercover agent, Special Agent Art Stiffel said. They were charged with conspiracy and with violating the arms export act.
The suspects, arrested after a four-month investigation, were identified as Joseph Henry Mensah, 67, of London; John Andrews Boateng, 44, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Kwasi John Baidoo, 40, of Rockaway Township.
Mensah, an economic consultant, carried a document identifying him as a member of the Ghana Democratic Movement, and investigators believed the weapons were earmarked for that group, Stiffel said.
Boateng is a taxi driver in Brooklyn, and Baidoo is a computer technician.
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