National City

Bail was set at $250,000 Friday for a man accused of trying to smuggle high-technology equipment to Bulgaria.

Keisuke Yamada, former owner of Electro Designs Systems in National City, was arrested last week in connection with the alleged attempt to smuggle equipment to the Soviet bloc country, said Charles Gorder, assistant U.S. attorney.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Lynne Lasry requested that Yamada be denied bail because she suspected that Yamada might flee the country.

Yamada, a Mexican national, was indicted in January on charges that he conspired to defraud the United States by circumventing export laws, Gorder said.

He remained at large until his arrest Wednesday.

Two other foreign businessmen were indicted with Yamada in January. They are still at large.

The indictment contends that the three falsified export documents and diverted computer discs through Canada and West Germany.

The computer discs are not classified, but it is illegal to export them out of the country without a license, Gorder said.

Licenses are not issued for Soviet bloc countries.

Yamada remains in custody at the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center.