Ex-Soldier Convicted Of Smuggling Guns To Dominican Republic

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (AP) — A former Fort Carson soldier has been convicted of smuggling guns to the Dominican Republic.

Katherine O'Neal was found guilty in federal court Tuesday of smuggling and is set to be sentenced in August. Charges in the Dominican Republic are pending her extradition there.

Prosecutors say O'Neal tried to fly to the Caribbean nation in June 2015 with 11 guns she bought in Denver and Colorado Springs.

Investigators say she declared the firearms to the airline but didn't get the required export license from the State Department. Her bags were sent to the wrong place by the airline, and when they arrived later, Dominican officials found the weapons.

O'Neal was arrested when she arrived at the airport to claim her luggage.

The Dominican Republic bans the import of firearms.

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