Chinese National Living in U.S. Sentenced to Eight Years for Smuggling Firearms and Military Equipment to North Korea

Shenghua Wen previously pled guilty to conspiring with DPRK officials to illegally export weapons from the US

A 42-year-old Chinese national residing illegally in the United States has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison after admitting to exporting firearms, ammunition, and military equipment to North Korea in violation of U.S. law.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Shenghua Wen lived in Ontario, California, and concealed weapons and military devices inside cargo containers that were shipped out of the Port of Long Beach between 2023 and 2024. Court records show that Wen acted under direct instructions from North Korean officials and falsified export documentation to hide the contents of the shipments.

Investigators determined that two North Korean government officials first contacted Wen in 2022 using an online messaging platform, instructing him to purchase and smuggle U.S. firearms to North Korea via China. Wen later purchased a firearms business in Houston, Texas, using funds from a North Korean intermediary and acquired many of the weapons in Texas before driving them to California for export.

In 2023, Wen shipped at least three containers of firearms from Long Beach, including one container labeled as a refrigerator that was routed through Hong Kong and ultimately reached the North Korean port of Nampo. Prosecutors also revealed Wen attempted to purchase approximately 60,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition for shipment in 2024.

Wen additionally sought to obtain sensitive military-related equipment, including thermal imaging systems suitable for drones or helicopters, a chemical threat identification device, a broadband receiver, and even a civilian aircraft engine.

Wen originally entered the U.S. in 2012 on a student visa, which expired in 2013, after which he remained in the country illegally. Authorities said he had previously met North Korean representatives at an embassy in China and received approximately $2 million to carry out the smuggling scheme.

In June, Wen pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. He has been in federal custody since December 2024.

The case was investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security.