Recently two foreigners, one from the UK and the other from China, representing the Communist government of China, were caught by the FBI attempting to smuggle US military equipment to China for reverse engineering. The undercover agents were told by the suspects that Beijing is interested in almost all Western weapons available and boldly expressed a desire to acquire multiple copies of each item.
The 63-year-old British national, John Miller, who was working in language education in China, and the 43-year-old Chinese citizen, Cui Guanghai, were arrested in Serbia as requested by the US. The US is now seeking their extradition, with both facing up to 40 years in prison if convicted.
According to a 14-page document submitted to the Eastern District Court of Wisconsin, Cui Guanghai holds a position in the Chinese government. Miller worked for Cui Guanghai and has a US permanent residence permit. Miller, who previously conducted business in China, was a director of the TEFL International English Teacher China Training Company (which has since dissolved).
The US Department of Justice announced last week that a federal grand jury has filed charges against Miller and Cui Guanghai in both Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Los Angeles, California, simultaneously.
From November 2023 onwards, Miller and Cui Guanghai recruited arms dealers within the US to assist in procuring US defense materials, including missiles, anti-aircraft radars, drones, and encryption devices with related ignition keys. They were unaware that the recruited individuals were undercover agents.
Their plan involved concealing the encryption devices in mixers, small electronic equipment, or engine starters, shipping them first to Hong Kong and then transferring them to mainland China. Cui Guanghai and Miller used a US express delivery company to pay approximately $10,000 as transportation deposit and wired further funds to a US bank account for procurement expenses.
It is uncommon for both suspects to be indicted by grand juries in different courts. Court documents from San Francisco accused Miller and Cui Guanghai of planning to prevent a Chinese dissident from attending an event protesting the Chinese Communist Party leader. Miller referred to Xi Jinping as “the boss” in intercepted phone calls, indicating he was following Beijing’s “instructions”.
Allegedly, text messages intercepted by the FBI in December 2023 showed Miller discussing a “Christmas wish list” with an arms dealer (who was actually an agent).
Miller claimed his buyer was interested in “Western stuff” and wanted “multiple copies of everything” to reverse engineer in China.
In January 2024, Miller sent a list including hardware and radar technology.
In February, Miller pointed to the January list telling the agent, “They (referring to the Chinese side) want all the items, remember, these are just some of the most critical items. Their list comprises hundreds of items, too many to mention, but in fact, they are interested in almost everything they can get their hands on.”
Miller also added that the buyer had ample funds and could charge 2-3 times the original price if proper market channels were established.
In June, Miller informed the agent that Cui would soon receive a procurement list, requesting further discussions and weapon photos.
On July 13th, Cui Guanghai sent a message through an encrypted business communication app stating that his client was submitting a report to a “superior department” waiting for an “evaluation report”. He further indicated that his client was a local government entity in China.
In several messages on September 10th, Cui Guanghai quoted prices: $50,000 for a Stinger portable missile launcher, $200,000 for two military drones, $900,000 for an AGM-88E anti-radiation missile system, and $2 million for an anti-aircraft radar system. He also suggested adding a 20%-30% markup on the quoted prices for transportation.
They showed interest in handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) devices used by US soldiers. In February 2025, Cui requested photos of the devices’ serial numbers from the agents, stating that these pictures would determine the quantity of devices needed by the client.
The mentioned weapons or military equipment are subject to strict controls under the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Illegally exporting this equipment without permission could jeopardize US national security.
Around March 7th, Cui discussed meeting near Hungary with the agents. In the message, Cui expressed hopes of meeting Miller in Hungary.
Even in April, they continued discussing the purchase of encryption devices with ignition keys.
From around March 24th to April 1st, the agents sent photos of a RASKL KIK-30 Type 1 encryption device and Crypto Ignition Key to Cui in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, informing him that these were “encryption encoding decoding devices”.
Cui mentioned that he had forwarded the photos to his associates. Later, he asked the agents if the encryption devices still had keys.
Cui stated, “I have passed on these devices to my associates, and they asked if these devices have keys. I believe these keys are issued by the military,” adding that they are “codes for connecting GPS and satellites”.
On April 7th, Cui circled text on a photo and told the agents that they had two GPS devices but no keys.
Cui remarked, “If the devices come with encryption keys, my associates are very interested,” and indicated that they are “valuable if they come with keys”.
During a video conference on April 10th, they discussed how to transport the RASKL device and cryptographic ignition keys to China. Cui suggested concealing them within a computer or other items. Miller proposed hiding the equipment in small electronic or mechanical goods bound for Hong Kong or with automotive parts (like starter motors). He also suggested using food mixers to conceal the equipment for smuggling.
Miller suggested that packages containing mixers and equipment could be sent to Hong Kong via US courier companies like DHL or FedEx, with Cui coordinating the pickup in Hong Kong. Cui agreed to the plan.
Subsequently, Miller and Cui were arrested in Serbia and are currently awaiting extradition to the US.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche of the US Department of Justice stated, “The defendants conspired to traffic sensitive US military technology to the Chinese (Communist) government. This is a blatant attack on our national security and democratic values.”