BC Man charged with smuggling military technology from the US to Pakistan

A dual-Canada-Pakistani citizenship man is in custody in the United States, allegedly circumventing export control laws.

Mohammad Jawaid Aziz, also known as Jawaid Aziz Siddiqui and Jay Siddiqui (age 67), were arrested in Washington on March 21 after attempting to move to the US using Peace Arch BC Borter Crossing.

Len Sanders, an immigration lawyer based in Blaine, Washington, said Aziz contacted him about eight years ago with questions about acceptability to the United States.

He then met Aziz at Peace Arch Park in 2022 at the Peace Arch Border Crossing.

“We talked about acceptance of the US. We don’t remember the exact details, but he had some concerns about entering the US, and I never heard a response from him,” Sanders told Global News.

He added that Aziz is in federal custody at Seatac.

“It’s a serious federal crime,” Sanders said.

“I’ve been practicing US immigration law at Brain for 25 years, and this is just a handful of people who have seen where someone has actually been arrested and taken to Seattle.”

Sanders described it as “unprecedented.”

He added that due to his understanding, Aziz was invited by the Department of Homeland Security to come to the United States.

“It seems to me like one of those bait and switches,” Sanders said. “From what I can see, it appears he might have received a letter from Homeland Security by mail and went to the border believing what it said, which saved the Americans from handing over this individual from Canada.”

Breaking the national news

For news that affects Canada and the world, sign up to break news alerts delivered directly when they occur.

The U.S. Department of Justice claims that Aziz uses Canada-based company Diversified Technology Services to operate an illegal procurement network.

The department says the network was used to acquire US-original goods that were associated with the country’s nuclear, missile and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) programs on behalf of Pakistan’s banned entities.

The goods consisted of double-use technologies and materials to support Pakistan’s nuclear, drone and missile programs.

From 2003 to March 2019, Aziz is said to have sourced a variety of goods from US companies on behalf of Pakistani restricted entities, including sensitive and restricted items listed on export control regulations (ears) and commercial management lists.

As allegedly, he and his co-conspirators worked to hide true end users of American companies’ goods, often transporting goods to avoid detection to transport front companies and third countries, according to the Department of Justice.

Under the US government’s Department of Commerce, certain products and technologies, from the US to foreign countries, are being reviewed and managed. The division has imposed restrictions on exports of goods and technologies that it deemed to be a significant contribution to military potential or nuclear proliferation of other countries that are harmful to US foreign policy or national security.

US companies say Canadian retailers are leaving their products

$1.2 million defeated across Canada in complex, fake Amazon job investment scams

According to court documents from the US, Aziz approaches US companies through a company based in Karachi, Pakistan, through a company called an international trading company, to sourcing goods requested by restricted Pakistani organizations and businesses.

The story continues under the ad

When he receives the price information, Aziz and his co-conspirators submit quotation marks to a restricted entity in Pakistan. Usually with upcharges where they can profit from the trade.

If the amount is agreed, court documents say that the goods will be exported directly to Pakistan or transported to Pakistan via a third country without an export license that violates US law. These items, according to the documents, included industrial workstations, thermally conductive units and centrifugal pumps.

Aziz is charged with conspiracy in violation of the International Emergency Economic Force Act (IEPA) and the Export Control Reform Act, and will bear the largest statutory penalty in a five-year prison. It violates the Export Control Reform Act. This will pose a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison.

On March 27, a Seattle judge ruled that Aziz poses a serious flight risk and should not be granted bail.

The Justice Department says Aziz was in custody as of Friday and is waiting for the transfer to Minnesota, where the investigation is based primarily on its own.

None of the claims have been proven in court.

According to the indictment, Pakistan first tested nuclear bombs in 1998, and the US has since imposed export restrictions on countries and groups related to Pakistan’s military programs.

Copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.