Man Arrested for Sending Guns He Bought in Texas to North Korea

Federal immigration authorities arrested a 41-year-old man named Shengua Wen for illegally sending guns to North Korea. Wen, who came to the U.S. from China on a student visa in 2012, stayed even after his visa expired. He lived in California and was arrested on Tuesday for breaking some very serious laws.

What Happened?

According to a federal document, Wen bought guns and ammo in Texas and hid them in shipping containers to send them to North Korea. Before he even came to the U.S., he made a plan with North Korean officials to do this.

What Did They Find?

When police searched Wen's home in August, they found some unusual items like:

• A device for spotting dangerous chemicals
• A tool that can find hidden listening devices

Wen said he was planning to send these things to the North Korean military.

In September, agents also found 50,000 rounds of 9mm bullets in a van near Wen's house. Officials say North Korea sent Wen $2 million through an app called Wickr to help him buy weapons.

How Did He Do It?

Wen told investigators that he couldn’t buy guns himself so, he paid other people to buy the guns for him. He bought most of the guns in Texas and drove them back to California on three different trips. He even spent $150,000 to buy a Houston, Texas gun company called AK5000 Inc. to help with his plan.

Big Trouble

Wen was also asked to buy plane engines for North Korea’s military drone program. This kind of technology is dangerous and needs special permission from the U.S. government to be sent to North Korea.

Authorities believe North Korea was planning to use these weapons and tech to attack South Korea.

What’s Next for Wen?

Wen is facing a serious charge that could send him to prison for up to 20 years. He will be in court soon.