A U.S. federal court Thursday formally charged a Chinese national with taking part in a gun smuggling ring between the United States and China.

The court ordered Zhifu Lin to remain in jail until his next court appearance. Another Chinese national, Lilan Li, was arraigned earlier this month.

Federal agents also arrested a sergeant in the U.S. National Guard, Joseph Debose, for allegedly supplying the weapons.

The three are suspected of altered the serial numbers on various guns to hide their origin before shipping them to China where the Justice Department says they would fall into the wrong hands.

Justice Department officials say illegal purchase and shipping of guns is a serious crime that fuels violence plaguing communities around the world.

If convicted, Lin, Li, and Debose face up to 20 years in prison.