A Chinese national was arrested on Tuesday after he allegedly shipped weapons and ammunition from Long Beach, California, to North Korea.<\/b>
\nA Chinese national was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly shipping weapons and ammunition from Long Beach, California, to North Korea.
Shenghua Wen, 41, who had been \u201cillegally residing in the United States,\u201d was charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Central District of California. The press release described Wen as being a Chinese nation who had overstayed his student visa in the U.S. and who was \u201ctherefore prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition.\u201d
Violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act is described as a \u201cfelony that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison,\u201d according to the press release.
Wen reportedly \u201cexported to North Korea shipments of firearms, ammunition and other military items\u201d that had been \u201cconcealed inside shipping containers\u201d from Long Beach. The containers were then shipped from Long Beach to Hong Kong and from Hong Kong to North Korea.
\u201cIt is essential that we protect our country from hostile foreign states that have adverse interests to our nation,\u201d U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. \u201cWe have arrested a defendant who allegedly acted at the direction of the North Korean government by conspiring to illegally ship firearms, ammunition, and other military equipment to North Korea.\u201d
The press release noted that \u201can affidavit filed on November 26 with the complaint\u201d claimed that Wen had \u201cobtained firearms, ammunition, and export-controlled technology with the intention of shipping them to North Korea\u201d:
According to an affidavit filed on November 26 with the complaint, Wen obtained firearms, ammunition, and export-controlled technology with the intention of shipping them to North Korea \u2014 a violation of federal law and United States sanctions against that nation. Wen and his co-conspirators allegedly exported shipments of firearms and ammunition to North Korea by concealing the items inside shipping containers that were shipped from Long Beach through Hong Kong to North Korea.
Wen\u2019s arrest comes months after law enforcement officials \u201cseized\u201d from Wen\u2019s residence on August 14, \u201ctwo devices that he intended to send to North Korea for military use.\u201d One was reportedly a \u201cchemical threat identification device\u201d and another was a \u201chand-held broadband receiver that detects eavesdropping devices.\u201d
On September 6, law enforcement officials seized from Wen\u2019s residence \u201capproximately 50,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition that Wen allegedly obtained to send to North Korea,\u201d according to the press release.
The criminal complaint claimed Wen had \u201ctold investigators that North Korean government officials wired him approximately $2 million to purchase firearms and other products\u201d for them, according to Fox News.
Wen also \u201cpurchased an armory and a federal firearm license for $150,000,\u201d and had other people \u201cmake the purchases\u201d of firearms, according to the complaint, the outlet reported.
\u201cThe results of today\u2019s arrest and search warrants are a testament to HSI and our partner agencies commitment to national security and protecting our sensitive technology,\u201d Shawn Gibson, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego said in a statement. \u201cIt is a federal crime to illegally obtain and export certain US technologies by foreign countries and those who seek to circumvent the law will be thoroughly investigated.\u201d<\/p>\n