Chinese man admits smuggling weapons from US to North Korea
A Chinese man living illegally in the United States has pleaded guilty to exporting guns, ammunition and sensitive military equipment to North Korea.
Shenghua Wen was reportedly operating at the direction of the North Korean regime and was paid about $2 million (£1.5 million) for his work over a two-year period.
Pictures released by the FBI showed briefcases containing sophisticated electronic equipment, as well as what appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle.
Wen arrived in the US on a student visa in 2012, but remained in the country illegally after the visa expired in 2013.
He first established contact with North Korean officials at their embassy in China before he moved to the US. These officials 'directed Wen to procure goods on behalf of North Korea', according to the US Department of Justice.
In 2022, Wen was approached by two North Korean officials, known as Jin Yong Nan and Cui, over the encrypted messaging platform Wickr and was tasked with acquiring guns and 'sensitive technology' to send from the US to North Korea.
The following year, Wen purchased an unspecified number of firearms in Texas, using money provided to him by one of his North Korean contacts, and then carried the guns across state lines to a port in California.
The guns were then shipped in three containers from the US to North Korea via Hong Kong, with Wen 'filing false export information regarding the contents of the container', according to prosecutors.
One container, which was falsely reported to be carrying refrigerators, successfully arrived in Hong Kong and was later transported 30 miles south-west of Pyongyang to Nampo, the country's largest port.
Last year, Wen was again asked by his North Korean contacts to purchase approximately 60,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition, prosecutors said.
He also obtained sensitive technology, including a device that can identify chemical threats and a handheld receiver that detects different types of transmissions. These items, stored in two secure cases, were seized from his home during a raid last August.
Finally, Wen acquired or offered to acquire a civilian aeroplane engine and a thermal imaging system that can be mounted on a drone or other aircraft, though it's unclear whether these were ever successfully shipped.
Prosecutors allege that Wen was helping North Korea obtain materials for a potential attack on South Korea when he was arrested at his home in Ontario, California, in December last year.
North Korea has been boosting its defence capabilities in recent years as it seeks to expand and update its conventional weapons.
Wen admitted to one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which authorises the US president to regulate commerce with countries if there is a threat to national security, and one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government.
He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the IEEPA violation and a maximum penalty of 10 years for acting as a foreign agent. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug 18.
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