The UAE Attorney-General has ordered the referral of 13 individuals and six UAE-registered companies to the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal (State Security Court) on charges of illicit trafficking in military materiel, forgery, and money laundering.
The decision follows investigations by the Public Prosecution, which found that the defendants had attempted to move a shipment of ammunition through UAE territory to the Port Sudan Authority.
The case is linked to procurement arrangements requested by the armament committee of the Port Sudan Authority, chaired by Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and his deputy Yasser Al Atta, with coordination attributed to Othman Mohammed Al Zubair Mohammed. The scope of the charges also includes individuals alleged to have played roles in direction and coordination, including Salah Abdallah Mohammed Saleh, known as Salah Gosh.
UAE court to try 13 people and six firms over illegal arms trafficking linked to port Sudan authority
Prosecutors say the operation was carried out through two transactions involving prior planning and the use of commercial and financial fronts to conceal its nature.
In the first transaction, concluded outside the UAE, an agreement was reached to supply military materiel – including Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns, and grenades – with a declared value of $13 million, against an actual value of no more than $10 million.
The difference of approximately $3 million was allocated as commissions distributed among the defendants for facilitating the deal, with payments routed through licensed companies and bank accounts in the UAE under fictitious commercial cover.
The second transaction was executed within the UAE, using more than $2 million from the proceeds of the first deal to procure an additional shipment of ammunition. Part of this shipment was brought into the country through fraudulent means via a private aircraft, in preparation for transfer to Port Sudan.
Authorities succeeded in uncovering the operation, tracking financial flows and shipments, and foiling the scheme before it could be completed. The defendants were arrested and the attempted transit of materiel was prevented.
Investigations further revealed that the scheme extended beyond the seized shipment, with preparations in place to smuggle an additional five million rounds of Goryunov ammunition through six further transactions. The disruption of the first shipment prevented the execution of these operations.
The investigation produced evidence including the seizure and analysis of financial and commercial records, documents, and official correspondence, as well as tracked bank transfers and cash flows linked to the transactions. Several defendants provided confessions, and documented recordings and communications demonstrated coordination among those involved.
Counsellor Dr Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, Attorney-General of the UAE, had previously announced on April 30, 2025 that security authorities had foiled an attempt to pass weapons and military materiel through unlawful means to the Port Sudan Authority, leading to the arrests that form the basis of this case.
In its statement, the Public Prosecution said “the UAE will not tolerate any attempt to exploit its territory, institutions, or financial system for unlawful purposes, affirming that the sovereignty and security of the state are a red line and that the law will be applied with full firmness to all those involved.”
The 13 individuals referred to trial are:
- Rashed Omar Abdul Qader Ali
- Mohammed Al Fath Mohammed Beik
- Salah Abdallah Mohammed Saleh
- Abdullah Khalafallah
- Ahmed Rabie Sayed Ahmed Mohammed
- Yasser Abdulrahman Hassan Al Atta
- Othman Mohammed Al Zubair Mohammed
- Maher Abduljalil Mohammed Abduljalil
- Khaled Yousef Mukhtar Yousef
- Ahmed Khalafallah Abdullah Ahmed
- Mubarak Ali Al Sheikh Mohammed
- Othman Bakr Ali Karrar
- Musab Awad Al Karim Hassan Mohammed
The six UAE-registered companies referred to trial are:
- Rashed Omar Brokerage Company
- Portex Trade Limited
- Wardat Al Masarra Trading Company
- Sudamina Company
- Yellow Sand Trading Company
- Apollara Electronics Trading Company
