A Harnett County man with military ties is in federal custody after being charged with illegally shipping guns to China.
Joseph Debose, 29, was arrested May 20 in a sting operation by federal agents in Smithfield, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn, N.Y. Debose is accused of helping two Chinese nationals, Zhifu Lin and Lilan Li, smuggle weapons from the U.S. into China. Lin and Li also are charged.
Debose is a former Marine and a current member of a unit of the West Virginia National Guard who had hopes of joining the Army's Special Forces.
