North Korea received weapons from an illegal immigrant from China who resided in California, according to the DOJ.

An illegal immigrant from China is accused of shipping weapons to North Korea from California, according to the Justice Department.

A federal complaint filed in the Central District of California alleges that Shenghua Wen and other unnamed co-conspirators successfully exported at least two shipments of firearms and ammunition to North Korea by hiding the items inside shipping containers that were shipped from Long Beach, California, through Hong Kong, China, to North Korea.

On August 14, federal agents confiscated two devices from Wen's home in Ontario, California, which he admitted were intended for the North Korean government's military use, according to court documents.

The complaint describes two devices: a "Serstech Arx mkII Pharma device," which is a chemical threat identification device, and an "ANDRE Deluxe Near-Field Detection device," which is a handheld broadband receiver that detects known, unknown, illegal, disruptive, or interfering transmissions. The manufacturer claims that this device is portable, non-alerting, and ideal for locating hidden eavesdropping devices.

On Sept. 6, federal agents seized 50,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition from Wen's van parked outside his home. The defendant allegedly admitted to procuring the ammunition to send to North Korea at the direction of North Korean government officials. Wen is a Chinese national who is illegally in the United States and is therefore prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition.

Wen, who entered the United States in 2012 on a student visa, allegedly stayed in the country illegally after his visa expired. During interviews with investigators, Wen admitted to meeting North Korean government officials at two separate North Korean Consulates in China before coming to the United States. He was directed to procure goods on behalf of the North Korean government, likely because they knew he was "good at smuggling."

Allegedly, Wen admitted to investigators that he received $2 million USD from North Korean officials to purchase weapons and other products for their government. According to the complaint, Wen believed the North Korean government wanted these items for a potential attack on South Korea. He claimed that the government wanted him to obtain military uniforms that they would use for a surprise attack.

Wen bought an armory and a federal firearm license for $150,000 and registered his partner's name as the business owner with the Texas Secretary of State.

Wen admitted to having others buy firearms on his behalf to avoid flagging the ATF, according to the complaint.

The complaint alleges that after receiving the firearms from straw purchasers, WEN transported them to California, packed them into a shipping container, and shipped the container to China, knowing that it would eventually be transferred to North Korea.

The complaint allegedly states that Wen admitted to purchasing many of the firearms he sent to North Korea in Texas and driving them from Texas to California on three separate trips.

Allegedly, Wen stated to investigators that the shipments occurred in October 2023 and December 2023.

A press conference is anticipated to be held by the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles regarding a significant national security investigation.

READ THE COMPLAINT HERE: