Two Taiwanese appeared in a US federal court in Newark, New Jersey, on Wednesday, charged with drug dealing and conspiring to illegally buy “sensitive defense articles” for Beijing.
According to an FBI statement, Hui Sheng-shen, 45, and Huan Ling-chang, 41, were trying to acquire military spy drones, E-2C Hawkeye surveillance airplanes and stealth technology relating to F-22 jets.
They did not make a plea and a trial date has not yet been set.
Shen, known as “Charlie,” and Chang, known as “Alice,” could be jailed for life if they are found guilty on all counts.
Shen told FBI agents he was a logistics expert and Chang said she was a school teacher.
Both of the accused have been in custody for nearly two months on charges of conspiring to import 50kg of crystal methamphetamine from Taiwan into the US.
However, the drug charges have now been amended and the pair are charged with selling 1kg of nearly pure crystal methamphetamine to undercover agents.
During their court appearance, the charges of illegally seeking to export sensitive US military technology to China were introduced for the first time.
Paul Fishman, US Attorney for the District of New Jersey, said that a drug trafficking operation and the alleged plot to export “some of America’s most sensitive weapons and related technology to China” came to light during an investigation into the importation of counterfeit goods from China.
“The charges against Shen and Chang illustrate starkly why we do this work and what is at stake when the security of our ports is breached for any reason,” Fishman said. “National security isn’t an a la carte enterprise. The same conduits that bring knockoff sneakers flood our communities with illegal drugs and establish dangerous criminal relationships.”
Court documents that were unsealed for the first time this week detail an alleged criminal enterprise with international links.
According to the FBI statement, the documents reveal that Soon Ah Kow, 72, of Hong Kong, was arrested in Manila in February for brokering international transactions of illegal goods.
Kow reportedly told undercover FBI agents that Shen and Chang represented wealthy narcotics dealers.
In September last year, Shen and Chang allegedly asked undercover agents if they could supply highly sensitive military technology, especially a Hawkeye reconnaissance aircraft.
The next month, at a meeting in Las Vegas, Shen and Chang allegedly provided an expanded list of military items they wanted to buy.
During a series of conversations and meetings, the defendants told the undercover agents that their associates were “connected to the Chinese government, working for a Chinese intelligence company, like the CIA” and would be “using government money to make the purchases.”
In February, the pair were arrested when they visited New York and allegedly photographed a small drone and military manuals provided by undercover agents.
Additional reporting by Reuters
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
‘FORM OF PROTEST’: The German Institute Taipei said it was ‘shocked’ to see Nazi symbolism used in connection with political aims as it condemned the incident Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 yesterday amid an outcry over a Nazi armband he wore to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case on Tuesday night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and apparently covering the book with a coat. This is a serious international scandal and Chinese
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE TRAINING: The ministry said 87.5 percent of the apprehended Chinese agents were reported by service members they tried to lure into becoming spies Taiwanese organized crime, illegal money lenders, temples and civic groups are complicit in Beijing’s infiltration of the armed forces, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a report yesterday. Retired service members who had been turned to Beijing’s cause mainly relied on those channels to infiltrate the Taiwanese military, according to the report to be submitted to lawmakers ahead of tomorrow’s hearing on Chinese espionage in the military. Chinese intelligence typically used blackmail, Internet-based communications, bribery or debts to loan sharks to leverage active service personnel to do its bidding, it said. China’s main goals are to collect intelligence, and develop a