A B.C. man is in custody in Washington state, accused of acting as a middleman in a years-long conspiracy to smuggle U.S. technology through Canada in a bid to bypass laws meant to limit Pakistan's nuclear ambitions.

According to an indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota, Mohammad Jawaid Aziz and two unnamed co-conspirators allegedly obtained thousands of dollars worth of banned equipment for Pakistan's military and weapons programs through a series of front companies.