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US pilot jailed for 15 years over pirate ransoms

A Somali court has jailed six foreigners for illegally carrying millions of dollars into the country to pay ransoms for the release of vessels held by pirates.
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/ Source: msnbc.com news services

A Somali court has jailed six foreigners including three Britons and an American for illegally carrying millions of dollars into the country to pay ransoms for the release of vessels held by pirates.

Authorities in the Horn of Africa country seized two aircraft carrying $3.6 million in the capital Mogadishu late last month.

"We sentenced the two pilots, who are American and British nationals, to 15 years imprisonment and a $15,000 fine each," the Mogadishu court's judge Hashi Elmi told Reuters late on Saturday.

The charges were illegally bringing money into the country, carrying cash intended to pay ransoms and landing in Mogadishu without the correct papers.

Aircraft seized
The four others, among them two Kenyans, were handed 10-year jail terms and fines of $10,000 each, Elmi said. The cash and two aircraft were now the property of Somalia's government, he added.

Maritime piracy costs the global economy up to $12 billion annually and has spawned numerous private security businesses offering armed protection for vessels and conducting ransom drops.

The average ransom paid to pirates has reached nearly $5 million. Cash ransoms are usually dropped onto captured vessels from light aircraft.

It was the first time Westerners have been sentenced for involvement in ransom payments.

It seemed unlikely the six defendants would have to serve their full sentences. A Western official who was not authorized to speak publicly said discussions were under way to reduce or overturn the sentences.

Elmi said the six might be able to buy their freedom.

"The men can appeal and if they ask to pay more instead of (remaining in) prison then we shall see and take our decision," Elmi said.

Somalia hasn't had a functioning central government since 1991, which has allowed pirates to flourish in the north and militants to take control of wide swaths of territory in the south.