International drug smuggling operation stuffs meth into baby dolls
At least five people were arrested in connection with an alleged international drug trafficking ring based in Rosemead after the Federal Bureau of Investigation served a search warrant on Wednesday.
During the search warrant, 91 packages of methamphetamine were discovered, which were allegedly destined for foreign countries including Australia and New Zealand, according to a 27-count federal grand jury indictment.
The indictment charges the listed defendants with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute the drugs.
The defendants listed in the document are 45-year-old Monterey Park man Yangqiang Chen, and Rosemead residents Jie Chen, 40, MeiMei Chen, 41, Guorong He, 50 and Yien He, 32.
Additionally, a sixth defendant identified as 44-year-old Rosemead resident Zuxing Lin, is listed as a fugitive and a seventh, 54-year-old Xingyun Chen, is in immigration custody in Louisiana.
Two of the defendants also face charges of maintaining the premises where the methamphetamine was stored and packed, the US Attorney's Office said.
The search warrants were served at three different locations in Rosemead and Monterey Park, in which law enforcement officials say they seized around 40 pounds of meth, more than $100,000 in cash and over 1,000 gift cards from various retailers, the US Attorney's Office statement said.
The indictment alleges that Yangqiang Chen and Jie Chen ordered and received items from different online retailers, like spools of 3D printing filament, utility cases, wine opener sets and drive shafts, which they used to conceal the methamphetamine in international shipments sent to foreign drug customers.
Meimei Chen, Xingyun Chen, Guorong He, Yien He and Zuxing Lin are alleged to have packaged the meth at a residence in Monterey Park and other places before it was sent overseas.
If convicted of all charges, each defendant faces a sentence between 10 years and life in federal prison, prosecutors said.
Over the course of the entire investigation, authorities are estimated to have seized an alleged 441 pounds of meth, worth a street value exceeding $20 million if sold in Australia and New Zealand.
