US detains two Chinese men accused of smuggling military sensors
Cai Bo and Cai Wentong face charges of smuggling goods and violating Arms Export Control Act after undercover sting operation
Two Chinese nationals are suspected of trying to smuggle sensors made in New Mexico for United States military use, US federal authorities said.
A federal magistrate judge unsealed two search warrants related to the case last week, the Albuquerque Journal reported on Sunday. Much of the case remains sealed, however.
According to the affidavit, Cai Bo, 28, and Cai Wentong, a 29-year-old graduate student in Iowa, were both arrested within the past six months after being caught in an undercover sting operation. They are facing charges of smuggling goods and violating the Arms Export Control Act. The act mandates that certain items being shipped to China, Syria and Sudan have an export license.
Both visited Albuquerque last December to meet with an undercover agent about buying the sensors, which were created for military guidance systems.
Both men could face 20 years in prison and up to US$1 million in fines. Bo has been in the Santa Fe County Jail since his December arrest. Wentong was booked and released from the same jail.
Both men came to Albuquerque in December and met with an undercover US Homeland Security Investigations agent. According to the complaint, Wentong was a fan of Breaking Bad, the AMC drama series which filmed in Albuquerque. The agent said he gave Wentong a tour of locations featured on the show and took mobile phone photos of the suspect.