ICE deports Taiwan national for exporting missile components to Iran

MIAMI — A Taiwanese national convicted of conspiring to export missile components to Iran in violation of the International Emergency Powers Act (IEPA), was deported to Taiwan on Tuesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Miami.

Yi-Lan Chen, 40, departed Miami International Airport in Miami on Tuesday, Oct. 18 and arrived in Taipei the following morning.

Chen pleaded guilty to all three counts filed against him, including conspiracy and attempt to export and cause the export of commodities from the United States to the Islamic Republic of Iran, in violation of the U.S.-Iran embargo and the IEPA. The charges stemmed from an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). He was sentenced to 42 months in prison.

Chen's Taiwan corporation, Landstar Tech Company Ltd, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and was sentenced to one year of probation.

Chen, by and through Landstar Tech, communicated and coordinated with co-conspirators in the United States, Iran, Hong Kong and elsewhere to facilitate the attempted export of dual-use goods from the United States to Iran. He took requests for U.S.-manufactured goods from customers in Iran, and along with his company, purchased those goods from U.S. companies and misrepresented the ultimate end-user or consignee of the goods.

Chen made arrangements with an undercover federal agent to have those U.S. goods hand-delivered by the undercover agent to Chen in Guam. He then planned to transport the goods back to Taiwan and then on to his customers in Iran. Chen and Landstar Tech also received payment for the purchase and shipment of the U.S. goods from his customers in Iran and then used funds received from the customers in Iran to pay the U.S. companies for those goods.

"The illegal exportation of munitions, small arms, weapons and technology threatens the overall safety and security of our nation," said Marc Moore, field office director of ICE ERO in Miami. "ICE will use every tool at our disposal to protect the American people and remove those who pose a threat to our national security."

ICE ERO Miami coordinated the removal of Yi-Lan Chen with the ICE Attaché office in Hong Kong.