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A US man was jailed for 25 years Monday for smuggling goods including surface-to-air missiles from China in the first conviction under a 2004 anti-terrorism law, officials said. Yi Qing Chen was convicted in October on charges of smuggling drugs and counterfeit cigarettes as well as conspiring to import missile systems designed to destroy aircraft, the FBI said. The evidence presented during the two-week trial showed that Chen, 49, conspired to smuggle Chinese-made QW-2 shoulder-fired missiles into the US. The guilty verdict was the first under an anti-terrorism law enacted in 2004 outlawing the import of missile systems designed to destroy aircraft, and carrying a minimum 25 year jail term. "The defendant's willingness to smuggle surface-to-air missiles into this country ... is a frightening concept because there can be no confusion as to the purpose of such contraband," said the FBI's Los Angeles boss Steven Martinez. The weapons never arrived in the Untied States because of an FBI sting operation, however, if they had they would have "potentially horrific consequences for innocent people," he added. US Attorney Andre Birotte Jr said, "Mr Chen was the first person in the nation to be indicted for plotting to smuggle anti-aircraft missiles into the United States after the 9/11 attacks. "The 25-year sentence imposed today appropriately reflects the severity of the threat this conspiracy posed to the security of the United States," he added. AFP |
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