A Puerto Rico-based Army Reserve staff sergeant pleaded guilty Wednesday to smuggling more than $113,000 out of Afghanistan while stationed there in 2013, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Staff Sgt. Luis Ramon Casellas, 42, also admitted to shipping stolen government property home from Afghanistan – laptops and other gear worth more than $6,300, the release states.

Casellas was deployed to Kandahar Airfield in April 2013 and assisted in the preparation of smaller bases for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, duties that included packing up some materials for future use and selling others for scrap to local contractors, according to the release. Instead, Casellas admitted to shipping home multiple packages via the U.S. Postal Service and UPS to his wife in Puerto Rico, some of which were labeled "gifts for family," that included stolen gear and tens of thousands of dollars of undocumented cash.

Customs agents found two of the UPS-shipped boxes in August in Louisville, Kentucky, the release states. Other agencies involved in the investigation included the FBI, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, Army Criminal Investigation Command, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

Casellas pleaded guilty to three counts of bulk cash smuggling and one of theft of government property. His sentencing has yet to be scheduled.

Share:
In Other News
Load More