Two Men Convicted at Southwark Crown Court for Illegally Brokering Weapons Deals Across Africa
Two men have been found guilty at Southwark Crown Court of brokering illegal weapons transactions without the required UK trade control licences, in a prosecution brought under the Export Control Order 2008 by HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service and the Crown Prosecution Service.
David Greenhalgh, a UK national, brokered the supply of ex-Soviet aircraft, surface-to-air missile systems, anti-tank missiles, and thousands of assault rifles to buyers in Sudan, South Sudan, and Libya between 2009 and 2016. He operated through his "Airservices" group of companies, incorporated across multiple jurisdictions in a deliberate attempt to move transactions outside UK legal reach. The court confirmed that this strategy was ineffective: as a UK national, Greenhalgh remained subject to UK trade controls regardless of where his deals were structured or executed.
His business partner, Greek national Christos Farmakis, was convicted on the same date — 11 June 2026. Both defendants sourced weapons from defence ministries in former Soviet and Soviet-aligned states, and used forged end-user certificates to conceal the true destinations of the shipments. Sentencing is scheduled for 22 July.
David Greenhalgh, a UK national, brokered the supply of ex-Soviet aircraft, surface-to-air missile systems, anti-tank missiles, and thousands of assault rifles to buyers in Sudan, South Sudan, and Libya between 2009 and 2016. He operated through his "Airservices" group of companies, incorporated across multiple jurisdictions in a deliberate attempt to move transactions outside UK legal reach. The court confirmed that this strategy was ineffective: as a UK national, Greenhalgh remained subject to UK trade controls regardless of where his deals were structured or executed.
His business partner, Greek national Christos Farmakis, was convicted on the same date — 11 June 2026. Both defendants sourced weapons from defence ministries in former Soviet and Soviet-aligned states, and used forged end-user certificates to conceal the true destinations of the shipments. Sentencing is scheduled for 22 July.
- Compliance note. The case serves as a clear reminder that UK trade controls apply to UK nationals globally. Routing transactions through overseas subsidiaries or foreign-registered entities does not remove UK jurisdiction.
