An undocumented Chinese immigrant was arrested in California for allegedly sending millions of dollars worth of weapons, ammunition, and military-grade technology to North Korea.
Shenghua Wen, 41, who arrived in the U.S. on a student visa in 2012 and overstayed after it expired, reportedly began working with North Korean officials. He is said to have received $2 million for sourcing restricted military equipment, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office report.
Through a Texas-based company he acquired, Wen bought firearms and ammunition, hiding them in mislabeled shipping containers destined for North Korea via Long Beach and Hong Kong, ABC7 reported.
Wen was arrested on November 26, 2024, after federal agents found troubling evidence during raids at his Ontario, California home. This included military devices intended for North Korea, 50,000 rounds of ammunition, and communications about plans to acquire a civilian plane engine to develop military drones for North Korea.
“The conduct alleged in this complaint is chilling,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada remarked. “One of our foreign adversaries, North Korea, was operating within our borders, using an operative to acquire high-grade military technology and equipment, including firearms and ammunition.”
Wen faces charges under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Additional charges include conspiring to secretly ship weapons, ammunition, and military technology worth millions of dollars to North Korea.
“We know he shipped at least two different shipments in 2023, and one was labeled as a refrigerator,” Estrada stated. “Another was marked as camera parts, but they contained illegal materials, including firearms, ammunition, and high-grade technology, which were prohibited from being sent to North Korea.”
Wen is scheduled for arraignment in the coming weeks, and ongoing investigations are expected to reveal further connections to co-conspirators and additional shipments.
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