MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 37-year-old Plymouth man pleaded guilty Tuesday to smuggling thousands of rounds of ammunition from the United States to Ukraine, the Justice Department said.
Paul Kalash pleaded guilty before District Court Chief Judge Michael J. Davis to one count of smuggling.
Kalash was charged earlier this year after U.S. Custom and Border Protection agents seized packages shipped by Kalash in 2011.
Some packages seized in February of that year contained a firearm stock and 2,600 rounds of ammunition, the department said.
In March of that year, agents also seized packages that had 1,700 rounds of ammunition. In April 2011, more of the same: Agents seized packages that had nearly 3,000 rounds of ammunition as well as 300 9-millimeter shell cases.
On March 7, 2011, authorities sent Kalash a notice of the seizures, explaining that a license was required to export ammunition. About a month later, Kalash asked that the ammunition be returned to him, the department said.
Kalash said he was sending the ammunition to Ukraine in order to supply a friend with marksmanship competition-grade ammo.
