Fayetteville man pleads guilty to smuggling guns

Ramadan Rama, 40, pleaded guilty to federal charges of failure to notify a common carrier of a firearm and exporting defense articles without a license. He will be sentenced in June, when he faces up to 25 years in prison.

Prosecutors said Rama flew through Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Kosovo twice last year, and officials found disassembled handguns in his checked luggage. One time, the weapons were wrapped in aluminum foil to avoid detection, and the other time, a pistol was concealed in the lining of a leather bag.

"We are fortunate to have the constitutional right to bear arms, however, it is of grave concern when one of our citizens attempts to violate laws pertaining to that right that are designed to protect the people of our country and our international friends,” U.S. Attorney George Holding said in a statement.

Rama is the second person to plead guilty recently to smuggling weapons through RDU.

Steven Neal Greenoe, a Raleigh native and former Marine, pleaded guilty last week to illegally exporting handguns to England, where authorities said they were being used by street gangs.