Feds accuse men in scheme to smuggle missiles into U.S.

Edit to make an important change added late by the AP
Eds: SUBS lede to SPECIFY missiles were allegedly for use abroad
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/politics/13124993.htm

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - A federal grand jury indicted two Southern California men Wednesday with conspiracy to smuggle surface-to-air missiles into the United States for use abroad. Such missiles are designed to bring down aircraft.

The U.S. attorney's office said the charges against Chao Tung Wu, 51, of La Puente and Yi Qing Chen, 41, of Rosemead marked the first time a 2004 anti-terrorism statute has been used. The statute calls for a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and the possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted.

The men have been in custody since August when they were arrested as part of Operation Smoking Dragon, a federal undercover investigation into smuggling operations in Southern California. The men were originally charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and Ecstasy and importing millions of counterfeit cigarettes.

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I get a pack of missle's too! but it's usually from the Reservation.
http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:1sr02nrLbUAJ:

or something like that. Imagine getting pinched for the usual import/export stuff and then getting a rap like that pinned on you?

...into other countries?

Just ask Ollie North and his gang of thugs and cutthroats!

Or hunting. No big deal.