UAE refers 19 Sudanese, including former intel chief, to court over arms trafficking
April 30, 2026 (ABU DHABI) – The United Arab Emirates Attorney General, Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, on Thursday referred 19 Sudanese nationals and six UAE-registered companies to the Abu Dhabi Federal Appeals Court on charges of illegal arms trafficking, forgery, and money laundering.
The group includes Salah Gosh, the former head of the national intelligence and security service during the era of ousted President Omar al-Bashir. The referral to the State Security Court follows an investigation into an attempt to illegally transport military hardware to Port Sudan.
The case originated on April 30, 2025, when Abu Dhabi security services thwarted an attempt to smuggle weapons and military equipment. Investigations by the Public Prosecution revealed the defendants attempted to pass a shipment of ammunition to the Sudanese army through UAE territory, according to the state news agency WAM.
The Abu Dhabi prosecution said the transactions were requested by the Sudanese government’s armament committee and coordinated by Osman Mohammed al-Zubair Mohammed. The charges also named Salah Abdullah Mohammed Saleh, known as Salah Gosh, as having a role in directing and coordinating the operations.
The defendants face charges of illicit trafficking in military equipment, forging official documents, and laundering the proceeds of those crimes. Prosecutors said the plot utilized commercial and financial entities as fronts to conceal the illegal nature of the operations.
The investigation detailed two linked transactions. In the first, concluded outside the UAE, a deal was struck to supply military gear, including Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns, and grenades, for a declared value of $13 million, though the actual cost was $10 million. The $3 million difference was allegedly used for illicit commissions distributed among the defendants.
Payments for the deal were funnelled through licensed companies and bank accounts within the UAE under the guise of sham commercial transactions, the prosecution said.
A second deal was executed in the UAE using more than $2 million from the first transaction to procure an urgent supply of “Geranov” ammunition. Part of this shipment was brought into the UAE via private aircraft before its planned transfer to Port Sudan.
The plot intended to smuggle five million additional rounds of ammunition through six further deals, but this was prevented when the initial shipment was intercepted. Authorities said evidence includes financial documents, bank transfers, confessions, and documented communications between the suspects.