Croydon man jailed for 16 years over illegal arms deals

David Greenhalgh, a 68-year-old businessman from Croydon, South London, has been sentenced to 16 years imprisonment for his involvement in brokering illegal arms deals. He and his business partner, Christos Farmakis, facilitated the sale of weapons, including ex-Soviet jets, surface-to-air missile systems, and thousands of assault rifles, to Sudan, South Sudan, and Libya. These transactions took place between 2009 and 2016.

Concealing the Trade

The pair acted as intermediaries, arranging the transport and delivery of these controlled goods without the necessary licences required by UK law. To obscure the actual destinations of the weapons, Greenhalgh and Farmakis employed forged end-user certificates. These documents falsely indicated that the goods were destined for countries not subject to international sanctions.

Investigation and Scale of Deals

An investigation conducted by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) uncovered that none of the transactions were authorised by UK authorities. The scale of these illicit deals was significant, with some transactions amounting to tens of millions of dollars. HMRC stated that Greenhalgh and Farmakis operated within a complex international network, sourcing weapons and military equipment from defence ministries in former Soviet and Soviet-aligned states. These countries often had ageing stockpiles of military hardware available for sale.

The prosecution highlighted that Greenhalgh deliberately routed deals through his overseas subsidiaries, registered in countries including the UK, Greece, North Macedonia, and South Sudan, in an attempt to place transactions outside of UK jurisdiction. However, as a UK national, he remained subject to UK trade controls regardless of where he conducted his business.

Court Verdict and Sentencing

Greenhalgh and Farmakis were found guilty of the charges following a nine-week trial at Southwark Crown Court on June 11 2026. Specialist Prosecutor Anja Hohmeyer from the Crown Prosecution Service stated that the defendants treated the international arms trade as a personal business opportunity, systematically sourcing weapons and attempting to channel them into dangerous conflict zones. Emails found on Farmakis's device were described as a 'blueprint for wholesale evasion of the UK's arms controls'.

Farmakis, a Greek national aged 48, did not attend the trial. HMRC is collaborating with international partners to secure his extradition to the UK to face justice. Edwige Hill, Deputy Director in HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service, commented that the sentence reflects the seriousness of the offences and demonstrates a commitment to pursuing those who undermine the UK's export control regime.

What Happens Next

HMRC is working with international partners to bring Christos Farmakis to the UK to face justice. The conviction of David Greenhalgh and the ongoing efforts to apprehend Farmakis send a message that UK arms trafficking and brokering laws apply globally to those subject to UK jurisdiction, as stated by the CPS.