A man living in Ontario, California, was arrested in a North Korean arms smuggling operation that involved shipments of weapons from Long Beach, federal authorities said Tuesday.
Federal agents detained suspected operative Shenghua Wen, a 41-year-old registered Chinese national, on an expired student visa earlier this year.
"The North Korea officials sent Mr. Wen at least $2 million to pay for obtaining these materials and also to pay for the shipping costs," said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada.
Wen was expected to make his initial appearance Tuesday afternoon in federal court in downtown Los Angeles, and could be arraigned in the coming weeks.
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"The significance of this arrest and discovery of this scheme cannot be overstated,'' said Akil Davis, the FBI's Los Angeles assistant director in charge. "Not only did the investigative team prevent additional restricted items going to the North Korean regime, but they gathered valuable intelligence for the United States and our allies.''
On Aug. 14, 2024, federal agents raided Wen’s Ontario home where they found two devices he admitted he intended to send to North Korea for military use, according to a criminal complaint filed last month. They included a Serstech RX MkII Pharma device used for identifying chemical threats and a ANDRE Deluxe Near-Field Detection device used for detecting transmission signals.
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It was not clear how Wen got his hands on the military items.
One month later, on Sept. 6, agents located and seized Wen’s van parked outside his home. Inside the van was 50,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition intended to be sent to North Korea according to investigators.
Wen alongside a slew of unidentified co-conspirators were able to successfully ship two parcels of firearms and ammunition to North Korea, according to investigators. Those containers were shipped from the port of Long Beach to Hong Kong, then China and finally to North Korea.
"In light of the extraordinary threat North Korea poses, there must be approval from the U.S. government to ship such items to North Korea,'' U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said during a news conference Tuesday, adding that North Korea "engaged in a scheme to circumvent those restrictions.''
Authorities say it's not clear what the smuggled items have been used for, however, concepts of a surprise attack on South Korea were mentioned to Wen when communicating with North Korean officials, prosecutors said.
During a series of interviews with investigators, “Wen explained that he met North Korean government officials at two separate North Korean Consulates in China before he came to the United States,” and that “he was likely selected to procure goods on behalf of the North Korean government because he was good at smuggling.”
Wen initially made contact with North Korea two years prior with individuals he identified as “Jin Yong Nan” and “Cui.” “Cui” later instructed Wen to procure the weapons according to authorities with $2 million provided by the North Korean government.
Wen purchased weapons through “straw purchasers” who could do so legally before transporting and shipping them from Long Beach, according to the federal criminal complaint.
Wen entered the United in 2012 on a student visa. He continued to stay in the country illegally after his visa expired, federal authorities said.
Estrada said before leaving China to come to the United States on a student visa, Wen met with North Korean government representatives in China and planned the scheme. North Korea subsequently sent him at least $2 million to pay for materials and shipping costs, Estrada said.
Wen does not have a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control nor to Bureau of Industry and Security. Sending any type of military equipment to North Korea is illegal.
