U.S. charges Chinese national for allegedly exporting guns and ammo to North Korea

A Chinese national living in California has been arrested and charged by federal law enforcement after he allegedly bought and exported guns and ammunition to North Korea at the direction of North Korean agents who funneled him $2 million to purchase the equipment, according to a newly unsealed criminal complaint.

Shenghua Wen, 41, also admitted to trying to obtain military uniforms in an apparent attempt to help North Korean soldiers disguise themselves and conduct a “surprise attack” against South Korea, prosecutors said in an affidavit accompanying the complaint, which was filed on Nov. 26.

Prosecutors alleged Wen came to the U.S. on a student visa in 2012 and lives in Ontario, California. During a series of interviews earlier this year, he allegedly told investigators that he met with North Korean officials in China before coming to the U.S., and they directed him to procure firearms, ammunition and technology on behalf of Pyongyang.

Wen told the FBI he was “good at smuggling,” court records said, and he allegedly admitted he shipped two containers of guns in 2023 from Long Beach, California, to Hong Kong, where they were then smuggled into North Korea. 

Wen is charged with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions on North Korea, which make it illegal to send American money or goods to the country without permission. An attorney for Wen could not immediately be identified.

The affidavit filed in federal court in California revealed that FBI agents recovered 50,000 rounds of ammunition from Wen’s car, and he allegedly admitted to having bought the ammo at the direction of North Korean officials. Law enforcement also seized a device used to detect chemical threats and a tool that can detect hidden surveillance devices, according to the affidavit. Investigators said they found photos of firearms and equipment that Wen sent in messages with co-conspirators, some of which they included in the affidavit.

The criminal complaint did not detail the complete extent to which Wen allegedly worked on behalf of North Korea’s government, but prosecutors wrote he communicated with his handlers via encrypted messaging apps where the officials directed his conduct and coordinated the smuggling operations. 

Wen allegedly bought some of the weapons he sent to North Korea via third-party straw purchasers and told investigators he drove on numerous occasions to Texas to obtain the firearms. To fund the allegedly illegal purchases and international shipments, Wen told authorities the North Korean government funneled about $2 million through a Chinese Bank into bank accounts belonging to Wen’s partner, the criminal complaint said. 

“During the interview on September 6, 2024, [Wen] explained that he believed the North Korean government wanted the weapons, ammunition, and other military-related equipment to prepare for an attack against South Korea,” prosecutors wrote, adding his cellphone also contained numerous photos of U.S. military uniforms, pointing to his intent to ship the uniforms overseas. 

The Justice Department has charged other individuals living in the U.S. with similar conduct tied to the North Korean government. In May, federal prosecutors accused an Arizona woman of carrying out a scheme to help North Korean IT workers illegally obtain remote employment with American companies. The group allegedly used the identities of more than 60 individuals who lived in the U.S. to generate nearly $7 million for the North Korean government from more than 300 U.S. companies.