An arms dealer from Singapore, known to be 46 years old and named Chandran, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and a fine of $50,000 for attempting to illegally sell Syria 20,000 Bulgarian AKMS (a variant of the assault rifle developed for the airborne troops). A Kalashnikov with a folding metal stock) for a total of $3.4 million. The Singaporean Straits Times newspaper reports that Chandran, a Singaporean citizen of Indian origin, worked as a manager at the Dannhauser International trading company, which had a license to sell weapons. Considering the deal dubious, Chandran's manager forbade him from negotiating the sale of machine guns to persons in Syria through the Lebanese company Saqr Trading. Despite the ban and lack of a license, Chandran continued to prepare the deal. He expected to receive $200 thousand in commission for the delivery.
The merchant got off cheap. According to the law on control over the circulation of strategic goods, which in Singapore include weapons, the fine could be three times the cost of the entire product. Chandran's companion Colin Mak Yu Lun, 30, was sentenced to nine months in prison.
