2 Chilean ex-generals sentenced for smuggling arms to Croatia

Chilean ex-generals sentenced for arms smuggling

SANTIAGO, Chile — Two retired Chilean generals have been sentenced to prison for shipping arms to Croatia at the time of its battle for independence from Yugoslavia.

A Chilean court has sentenced Army Gen. Guillermo Letelier and Air Force Gen. Vicente Rodriguez to three years in prison for illegal arms sales. Letelier also was sentenced to 541 days for falsifying documents.

Hungarian officials discovered 11 tons of rocket launchers and automatic weapons being loaded on trucks headed for Croatia in 1991 in violation of a U.N. arms embargo. They had been labeled as Chilean humanitarian aid for Sri Lanka.

The former head of the army’s weapons factory was killed shortly after he was questioned about the case.

The ruling was announced Tuesday.