CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte man was sentenced to 18 months in prison today for unlawful transportation and shipment of firearms and ammunition, after he tried to get two firearms and ammunition through security at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the prison term imposed, Ahmad Mohmad Elzein, 61, was also ordered to serve two years under court supervision after he is released from prison.
According to court documents and court proceedings, on July 30, 2023, officials with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) were conducting a screening of Elzein’s carry-on luggage in connection with his international travel from Charlotte to Beirut, Lebanon. During the inspection, TSA officials located approximately $17,500 of U.S. currency in Elzein’s carry-on luggage. TSA officials also inspected Elzein’s checked baggage where they found a black 9 mm pistol concealed in a boot inside the luggage, and a revolver that was duct-taped and concealed inside the liner of Elzein’s suitcase. In addition to the firearms, TSA officers found 9mm ammunition wrapped in a plastic baggie and concealed in Elzein’s checked bag. During an interview with law enforcement, Elzein indicated that he was bringing those firearms and ammunition with him while visiting his family in Lebanon. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement determined that the 9mm firearm had been reported stolen.
Elzein is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Air Marshal Service, the TSA, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, for their investigation of this case.
Assistant United States Attorney Robert Gleason of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.