Greek National Jailed 16 Years Over Illegal Arms Deals Destined for War Zones

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A British businessman and his Greek business partner have been sentenced to a combined 32 years in prison for brokering illegal weapons deals involving fighter jets, missiles, assault rifles and other military equipment destined for conflict zones including Sudan, South Sudan and Libya.

David Greenhalgh, 68, from Croydon in south London, was sentenced to 16 years in prison after being convicted of brokering the supply of former Soviet fighter aircraft, surface to air missile systems, anti tank missiles, thousands of assault rifles and other controlled military equipment between 2009 and 2016.

His business partner, Greek national Christos Farmakis, 48, was also sentenced to 16 years after being found guilty of similar offences.

Farmakis did not attend the trial. HM Revenue and Customs said it is working with international partners to bring him to the UK to serve his sentence.

The pair operated as international middlemen, arranging the sourcing, transport and delivery of weapons without the UK trade control licences required by law.

According to investigators, they also used forged end user certificates to conceal the true destinations of the weapons. The documents falsely claimed that military equipment was being supplied to countries that were not subject to sanctions or restrictions.

The illegal transactions involved deals worth tens of millions of dollars.

Greenhalgh and Farmakis were found guilty at Southwark Crown Court on June 11, 2026, following a nine week trial.

International weapons network

The two men operated at the centre of a complex international network that sourced military equipment from defence ministries and suppliers in former Soviet and Soviet aligned states.

The network dealt in ageing stockpiles of fighter aircraft, missiles, battle tanks, assault rifles and other military equipment available in countries including Ukraine, Belarus, Serbia and the Czech Republic.

Investigators said some customers were countries unable to legally purchase weapons on the open market and were therefore willing to pay significantly inflated prices.

Greenhalgh operated through his Airservices group of companies, with businesses registered in several countries including the UK, Greece, North Macedonia and South Sudan.

HMRC said he deliberately routed transactions through overseas subsidiaries in an attempt to place the deals outside UK jurisdiction.

However, as a British national, Greenhalgh remained subject to UK trade controls regardless of where he conducted his business.

Emails revealed attempts to evade controls

HMRC Deputy Director Edwige Hill said the investigation showed Greenhalgh repeatedly attempted to circumvent Britain’s export licensing system.

“Strict export licencing controls exist to protect the UK and to ensure that military equipment does not fall into the wrong hands,” Hill said.

“Greenhalgh knowingly and repeatedly circumvented those controls, forging documents and routing deals through overseas companies to evade detection.”

Crown Prosecution Service specialist prosecutor Anja Hohmeyer said the two men treated the international arms trade as a commercial opportunity while attempting to channel weapons into conflict zones.

Evidence presented during the trial included emails in which the men discussed ways to evade UK licensing requirements, falsify end user certificates and conceal the true nature of transactions.

The CPS said one document recovered from Farmakis’s device outlined methods for avoiding UK arms controls.

The case highlights the reach of Britain’s arms brokering laws, which can apply to British nationals conducting weapons transactions overseas.

The convictions followed an HMRC investigation into the international network and its attempts to broker military equipment without the required UK licences.

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