44 Guns Flagged By INTERPOL Returned To U.S. At Dulles Airport

DULLES, VA — Forty-four firearms seized in Africa after being flagged by INTERPOL were returned to the United States at Washington Dulles International Airport, federal officials said.

The guns were brought back to the United States by FBI special agents on June 17, when a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agent detailed to INTERPOL Washington took custody of them at the airport, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

All 44 firearms were seized in Africa at different times in 2024 and 2025 after they were flagged by the U.S. National Central Bureau in INTERPOL’s Illicit Arms Records and Tracing Management System, known as iARMS, as having been trafficked or smuggled from the United States, officials said.

First Known Return Of Its Kind

The U.S. Marshals Service said this is the first known instance of firearms seized overseas because of iARMS being returned to the United States.

Federal officials said the returned firearms will support eight ATF investigations involving international weapons smuggling.

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Since Jan. 1, the U.S. National Central Bureau has received 51 iARMS “hits,” or recovery notifications, placing the United States first among INTERPOL’s 196 member countries, officials said. The bureau received 46 such hits in all of 2025.

Dan Vizzi, acting director of INTERPOL Washington, said the recovery showed the value of international information sharing and INTERPOL’s databases in fighting illicit firearms trafficking.

“Through strong partnerships with our domestic and international counterparts, we are making communities safer and preventing weapons from remaining in the hands of criminals,” Vizzi said.

Federal Agencies Cite Coordination

Justin Hoecker, acting chief of the National Firearms Trafficking Center, said the recoveries showed how international coordination can disrupt criminal networks tied to violent crime.

“ATF is proud to stand with our partners across the globe to identify traffickers, seize illegal weapons, and prevent their use in violence both overseas and here at home,” Hoecker said.

Heith Janke, assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Division, said the FBI could not combat the spread of illicit arms alone.

“We are proud of the strong coordination and collaboration with our partners that led to our agent’s role in the return of the weapons,” Janke said.

INTERPOL’s iARMS database contains more than 1.5 million records and tracks lost, stolen, smuggled and trafficked firearms, officials said.