SAVANNAH, GA: An Atlanta man faces up to five years in prison after admitting he attempted to hide firearms in an overseas shipment of goods.

Shawn Sabi, 34, of Atlanta, pled guilty in U.S. District Court to an Information charging him with Submitting False or Misleading Export Information, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The plea subjects Sabi to a possible statutory sentence of up to five years in prison followed by two years of supervised release and a $10,000 fine. There is no parole in the federal system.

“With massive numbers of shipments moving daily through the Port of Savannah, our law enforcement partners perform stellar work in intercepting illegal materials moving through commerce,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “When these shipments are detected, we will hold those attempting such criminal acts accountable.”

In March, agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detained Sabi’s shipment, labeled “115 pieces used household goods and personal effects,” based on discrepancies in declarations filed for the shipment. An agent from the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) reviewed the records, leading to a search of the container in which a shotgun, a rifle, and three handguns were discovered concealed inside the legs of an aluminum shelving unit, along with ammunition and other materials.

In most cases, it is illegal to export firearms to another country without a federal export license. BIS confirmed that Sabi does not possess such a license.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement, Miami Field Office; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Customs and Border Protection; and Homeland Security Investigations, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer G. Solari and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Darron J. Hubbard.