US federal prosecutors have accused a Chinese illegal immigrant of exporting guns and ammunition to North Korea, giving him $2 million to buy the equipment, according to recently revealed court documents.
Shenghua Wen, who was living in Ontario, California, also admitted that he had tried to buy military uniforms, which prosecutors said was part of an apparent effort to disguise himself as North Koreans so they could escape to South Korea. Can launch a “surprise attack” against.
The complaint, filed on November 26, alleges that Wen “delivered at least two shipments of firearms and ammunition to North Korea by hiding the items inside shipping containers sent from Long Beach, California, to North Korea via Hong Kong, China.” The consignment was successfully exported.” ,
They are accused of conspiring to violate US sanctions on North Korea, which ban sending US dollars or goods to the country without permission.
At Pyongyang’s direction, Wayne was arranging shipments to North Korea as recently as this summer.
On August 14, federal agents seized “a chemical threat detection device” and a “handheld broadband receiver that detects known, unknown, illegal, disruptive or interfering transmissions” that he had purchased for the North Korean military. Accepted the matter.
In another raid on September 6, law enforcement discovered and seized 50,000 rounds of 9 mm ammunition hidden in a van parked outside his house.
According to the complaint, Wayne admitted to the charges “during a series of Mirandized interviews.”
According to the criminal complaint, Wayne entered the United States in 2012 on a one-year student visa, but “remained in the United States illegally” after it expired.
“Based on information received from the Department of Homeland Security, Wayne was ordered removed from the United States in 2018,” the document said, without clarifying why he was still in the country. It is made.
His plan had been in the works for years, as the Chinese national told investigators, “Before coming to the United States he met with North Korean government officials at two different North Korean consulates in China.”
“According to Wen, during these meetings at North Korean consulates in China, North Korean government officials instructed Wen to purchase goods on behalf of the North Korean government,” investigators wrote in the affidavit.
“Wayne said he was probably chosen to buy goods on behalf of the North Korean government because he was good at smuggling.”
Since he was in the country illegally, Wayne told investigators that “he knew he couldn’t purchase firearms directly so he used other people to purchase firearms.”
“Wayne stated that he knew that if he attempted to purchase a firearm, the firearms store would contact ATF,” the complaint said.
It is unclear whether the strawman purchasers were aware of the intended final destination for the firearms.
According to the affidavit, he also intended to send additional technology to North Korea, including a civilian airplane engine.
“Wen said that North Korean government officials had directed him to purchase American civilian aircraft engines for the North Korean military,” investigators wrote. “According to WEN, these engines will be used to help develop the North Korean military drone program.”
“Wayne reported that he believed the North Korean government wanted weapons, ammunition, and other military-related equipment in preparation for an attack against South Korea.”
(Tags to translate)US news(T)world news(T)arrest(T)California(T)North Korea(T)South Korea
