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| Albert Veliu |
Albert Veliu, the former driver of the Kosovo Consulate in New York, whose sentence was ruled by Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto, pleaded guilty in February 2019.
He was arrested following an investigative process that began in October 2016 and continued until at least the end of May 2017.
Prosecutor Richard Donoghue is quoted as saying after announcing the verdict that: "The arrest and conviction of Veliu represent an important victory for law enforcement in destroying an international network of money laundering and weapons trafficking, ready and capable of providing a lethal weapons channel for alleged drug cartels in Mexico." He also commended the Kosovo police for assistance and co-operation during the operation.
According to federal prosecutors, Albert Veliu brokered the sale of an anti-tank rocket and fifteen AK-47 rifles in Kosovo, which ended up in the hands of US federal agents.
The investigation began when an informant told agents that a man named Christopher Curanovic was pressuring Veliu to repay a $ 40,000 debt. The operation began in October 2016 and involved a series of recorded conversations.
Immediately after the arrest, the Kosovo Foreign Ministry said that had terminated the working relationship with Albert Veliu and the Kosovo Consulate in New York.