NEWS ALERT: FBI announces HUGE reward for alleged Chinese ringleader, others accused of smuggling US drone technology to Iran

7

For ads-free news, click here.

From Fox News: The FBI on Wednesday shared a wanted poster for Chinese national Baoxia “Emily” Liu, adding that the State Department is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information on her and others accused of smuggling U.S. drone weapons to Iran.

Liu and three other fellow Chinese nationals were charged by President Joe Biden’s Justice Department in January 2024 in an alleged years-long conspiracy in which they unlawfully exported and smuggled U.S. export-controlled items through China and Hong Kong to entities affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), which supervises production of Tehran’s missiles, weapons, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

Her co-defendants are Li Yongxin, also known as “Emma Lee;” Yung Yiu Wa, also known as “Stephen Yung;” and Zhong Yanlai, also known as Sydney Chung.

The Department of State, now under President Donald Trump, said on Wednesday its Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, is offering a reward of up to $15 million “for information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms” of the IRGC and its various branches, including the IRGC-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), which are designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).

A State Department press release provides additional details:

Beginning as early as May 2007, Liu and her associates utilized an array of front companies in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to send to IRGC-linked companies dual-use U.S.-origin electronic components that could be used in the production of UAVs, ballistic missile systems, and other military end uses.

These individuals misrepresented the end users of this dual-use technology, leading U.S. companies to export goods to PRC-based front companies under the guise that the ultimate destination of these products was China rather than Iran. As a result, a vast amount of dual-use U.S.-origin commodities with military capabilities has been exported from the United States to IRGC-linked companies Shiraz Electronics Industries (SEI), Rayan Roshd Afzar, and their affiliates, in violation of U.S. sanctions and export control laws and regulations.

The IRGC and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), which supervises Iran’s development and production of military armaments, have utilized the U.S.-controlled technology to develop and manufacture arms and weapons systems, including UAVs, that it sells to governments and groups in allied countries such as Russia, Sudan, and Yemen.

“These individuals illegally export U.S. high-tech parts to Iran which are used to build military armaments. Sales of these weapons help fund terrorism by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Force (IRGC). Got information on these smugglers or IRGC finances? Contact us today,” Rewards for Justice announced.

Follow us on X (Formerly Twitter.)
The DML News App: www.X.com/DMLNewsApp

The Dennis Michael Lynch Podcast archive is available below, with the most recent on top. Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the show by downloading The DML News App or go to Apple Podcasts.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

CLICK HERE FOR COMMENTS SECTION