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CLEAR Temp: 56 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Tuesday, September 30, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 11, 2003 Scott Gradwell, vice president of DG Airparts Inc. in Jacksonville, said the federal government has honored the company with awards in recent years for the parts it sells primarily to U.S. military buyers. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Jacksonville exporter cooperates in Iran probe By TONY BOOM Mail Tribune JACKSONVILLE — Federal agents seized records Wednesday from an aircraft parts firm that sold five valves to a British company in 2001. The action was part of a probe into arms shipments to Iran. Search warrants were executed at DG Airparts Inc., 501 Juanita Way, and 17 other businesses nationwide. About eight agents conducted the search, which started before 8 a.m. and lasted about five hours, Airparts Vice President Scott Gradwell said. The valves were confiscated in England from Multicore Ltd., a London-based company that supplies Iran’s military. Multicore has been under investigation since 1999 by the United States and Britain on suspicion of selling prohibited items. "Unbeknownst to us, they were going to turn the valves around and export them to Iran," said Gradwell. "We’re just glad that the parts were intercepted and that they didn’t get where they were wanted." Advertisement Gradwell said it would be impossible to determine what the valves might have been used on. The companies are suspected of violating the Arms Export Control Act by supplying prohibited military items to Multicore, according to U.S. officials. The items include parts for Hawk missiles, F-14 Tomcat and F-4 Phantom fighters, C-130 Hercules transport planes and military radar. The companies were identified after U.S. and British officials examined parts, shipping documents and invoices found in the London searches of Multicore. U.S. officials believe more than 50 U.S. firms shipped components to Multicore after raids on the company’s storage facility in California. There’s no master list that tells firms what companies to avoid doing business with, said Gradwell. Search agents were from Customs Enforcement and the Defense Criminal Investigation Services (DCIS). This is the first time DG Airparts records have been seized, Gradwell said. In the past the firm has called the DCIS if they had suspicions about customers. DCIS is an investigative arm of the Department of Defense, charged with conducting investigations in support of national defense. "They wanted to check records from 2001 to see what we had exported," said Gradwell. "They said we sent the parts off when we shouldn’t have." No charges were immediately brought and no arrests were made at any of the 18 firms. DG Airparts has not retained a lawyer. The agents gave no indication of the next step in the investigation, Gradwell said. "We cooperated with them fully," said Gradwell. "They commented on how easy it was because we made every effort to cooperate." DG Airparts purchases surplus items from the United States military, often when military bases are closed and storage space is lost. The firm then resells the items directly or through brokers, primarily to the armed services. Four family members run the company, which started in 1986. "We take pride in the fact that we supply our military with parts that are hard to find," said Gradwell. DG Airparts was named a "Best Value Gold Medalist" for three of the last four years by the federal Defense Supply Center in Richmond, Va. The firm sells about 1,000 parts per year, but Gradwell couldn’t give a total sales amount. In addition to its Jacksonville location, the firm leases a hangar at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport. Other raids took place in Louisiana, Texas, New Hampshire, Colorado, New York, Florida, Kansas, Wisconsin and South Carolina. Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] The Associated Press contributed to this report. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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