ICE & CBP SEIZE 320 Iranian Missile Parts at Savannah — Turbine Crates & Shell Network BUSTED
ICE & CBP SEIZE 320 Iranian Missile Parts at Savannah — Turbine Crates & Shell Network BUSTED
Operation Ghost Turbine: How a Sharp-Eyed Officer Unraveled an Iranian Missile Smuggling Network
Preview: A routine container inspection at the Port of Savannah escalated into a major national security operation after a vigilant customs officer noticed an outdated model number on a shipping manifest. That single detail exposed a sophisticated illicit network smuggling 320 precision guidance components for Iranian missiles hidden inside hollowed-out industrial turbine housings, culminating in federal raids and multiple arrests.
The Savannah Interdiction
The operation began at the Garden City Terminal in the Port of Savannah, where Customs and Border Protection officer Marcus Webb reviewed a manifest claiming a container of replacement turbine blades bound for Corpus Christi, Texas. Recognizing that the specified model—a Siemens SGT400 industrial frame—had been discontinued years prior, Webb flagged the shipment for a non-intrusive X-ray scan.
When high-penetration imaging revealed dense rows of rectangular objects neatly packed inside the heavy metal castings rather than actual turbine components, Webb immediately alerted Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). A physical dismantling of the crates uncovered 320 precision guidance components, gyroscopic sensor modules, and inertial measurement units traced directly to Iranian ballistic and cruise missile production series.
Untangling the Shell Network
With only a short window before the intended recipients noticed the delay, a multi-agency task force launched an aggressive financial and logistical trace. Investigators discovered a complex, layered shell corporation structure designed to bypass automated customs filters:
The Front Companies: A recently formed Houston freight broker, Meridian Industrial Logistics LLC, and a Virginia-based importer of record, Tidewater Industrial Supply, provided a veneer of commercial legitimacy while handling customs entries and wiring millions through offshore accounts in Cyprus and the UAE.
The Logistics Architect: Investigators traced insurance and management ties to Richard Callaway, a seasoned customs consultant based in Florida who allegedly operated as a crucial intermediary, insulating the end users from direct detection.
The Assembly Point: Financial records ultimately led authorities to a padlocked warehouse in Pooler, Georgia, operated by Atlantic Cargo Services, where legitimate turbine housings were systematically stripped, modified with custom hydraulic tooling, and packed with sensitive military hardware.
Coordinated pre-dawn raids by HSI, CBP, and federal marshals across multiple locations resulted in the arrest of Callaway, the Georgia carrier operator, and associates linked to the Virginia shell entity. Seized digital files, encrypted drives, and invoices exposed a multi-year procurement conduit that had previously slipped past automated trade filters. A federal grand jury subsequently returned an indictment charging multiple defendants with conspiracy, smuggling, and sanctions violations, dismantling an elaborate illicit pipeline.
