BREAKING: Federal authorities will announce charges today against a Chinese illegal immigrant living in Southern California who they allege was shipping large amounts of weapons, ammunition, and military tech to North Korea at the direction of North Korean government officials.

According to the now unsealed federal affidavit, SHENGHUA WEN, who has been living in Ontario, California, successfully exported at least two shipments of firearms and ammunition to North Korea by concealing the items in shipping containers that were shipped from Long Beach, CA, through Hong Kong, China, to North Korea.

In August, federal agents also seized from his home a Serstech Arx mkII Pharma device (chemical threat identification device) and an ANDRE Deluxe Near-Field Detection device (a handheld broadband receiver that detects known, unknown, illegal, disruptive, or interfering transmissions, used for locating hidden eavesdropping devices. Feds say he admitted he planned to send both to the North Korean military.

In September, federal agents seized from a van outside his home 50,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition that he admitted he planned to send to NK at the direction of NK officials. Feds say as an illegal immigrant, WEN is prohibited from having any guns or ammo.

Feds say WEN used encrypted messaging app Wickr to communicate w/ the North Korean government officials, and that they wired him $2 million to purchase weapons for them.

WEN told Feds he purchased most of the firearms he sent to NK in Texas and then drove them to California on three separate trips.

Feds say WEN also stated that NK government officials directed him to buy U.S. civilian plane engines for the NK military, which would be used to help develop the NK military drone program, and that the NK officials wanted him to obtain military uniforms for the NK military which would be used to disguise their soldiers in a surprise attack on South Korea.

Agents also recovered images from WEN’s phone sent between him and other co conspirators, regarding weapons and items he intended to ship to North Korea, including a STAR SAFIRE, (FLIR product).

More details to come at DOJ/US Attorney press conference in LA at 12:30ET.

Bill Melugin