North Korea acquired a vacuum furnace suitable for nuclear weapons production from Spain by smuggling it across multiple continents, according to a U.S. think tank, raising concerns about Pyongyang’s ability to violate sanctions by misidentifying goods.

In a case dating back to 2022, a dual-purpose vacuum furnace that could be used for uranium melting ended up reaching North Korea from Spain through Mexico, South Africa and China, the Institute for Science and International Security wrote in a report on Wednesday.

David Albright, the think tank’s founder and author of the case study, said this example shows how North Korea “applies