A man with dual Canadian-Pakistan citizenship was detained for suspected evasion of export control laws.
Mohammad Jawaid Aziz, also known as Jawaid Aziz Siddiqui and 67-year-old Jay Siddiqui, were arrested on March 21 in Washington State, where he attempted to cross the United States using the Peace Arch BC border crossing point.
Len Saunders, an immigration attorney in Brian, Washington, contacted him about eight years ago and raised questions about acceptability of the United States.
He then met Aziz in 2022 at Peace Arch Park on the border of Peace Arch.
“We talked about acceptability to the United States. I don’t remember the exact details, but he did worry about entering the United States and then I never heard him echoes.”
He added that Aziz is in a federal detention center located in SEATAC.
“This is a serious federal crime,” Sanders said.
“I’ve been practicing immigration law in the U.S. for 25 years at Blaine, and it’s just a few cases where I’ve seen someone actually get arrested and taken to Seattle.”
Sanders described it as “unprecedented.”
He added that, according to his understanding, Aziz was invited to the United States by the Department of Homeland Security.
“It seems to me that one of those baits and switches,” Sanders said. “It seems that he may have received a letter in the Department of Homeland Security email and believed what it said and went to the border. This saved the Americans from introducing this person from Canada.”
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The U.S. Department of Justice accused Aziz of operating an illegal procurement network using its Canadian-based company’s diversified technology services.
The department noted that the network was used to acquire entities related to the country’s nuclear, missile and unmanned aircraft (UAV) programmes on behalf of Pakistan’s prohibited entities.
These commodities are made up of dual-purpose technologies and materials to support Pakistan’s nuclear, drone and missile programs, essentially the components that make them manufactured
From 2003 to March 2019, Aziz allegedly purchased a variety of goods, including sensitive and restricted items compliant with the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and goods on the Business Control List, representing U.S. companies on behalf of restricted entities in Pakistan.
According to the Justice Department, he and his accomplices work to cover up the true end users of U.S. companies, often using former companies and evading testing through third countries.
Under the U.S. Department of Commerce, certain goods and technologies from the United States to abroad were reviewed and controlled. The department’s restrictions on the export of goods and technologies it determines may make a significant contribution to the military potential or nuclear proliferation of other countries, which may be harmful to U.S. foreign policy or national security.
According to U.S. court documents, Aziz will access U.S. companies through a company based in Karachi, Pakistan, to limit the goods requested by Pakistani organizations and companies, known as international trading companies.
When he receives the pricing information, Aziz and his accomplices will submit quotes to restricted entities in Pakistan, usually with upphardarge, which can make them profit from the transaction.
If an agreement is reached, court documents state that the goods will be exported directly to Pakistan, or transferred to Pakistan through a third country without an export license, which is a violation of U.S. law. These projects include industrial workstations, thermal conductivity units and a centrifugal pump.
Aziz is charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEPA) and the Export Control Reform Act, which has a maximum statutory fine of five years. It also violates the Export Control Reform Act, which has a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years.
On March 27, a Seattle judge determined that Aziz posed a serious flight risk and should not be released on bail.
As of Friday, Aziz was still in custody and pending to go to Minnesota, the Justice Department said, based on the investigation.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
The indictment says Pakistan first tested a nuclear bomb in 1998, and since then, the United States has imposed export restrictions on countries and entities related to Pakistan’s military plans.
– Canadian media files
& Copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
