LA County man faces federal charges for trying to ship a ton of meth to Australia

An El Monte man faces a series of federal charges in connection with his attempts to ship 2,205 pounds of methamphetamine to Australia in 2023, the Justice Department announced Friday.  

Jing Tang Li, 32, is charged with distribution of and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, exportation of controlled substances, and attempt and conspiracy to export controlled substances. 

Over an 11-month period in 2023, U.S. customs officers inspected seven shipments headed to Australia and found methamphetamine embedded in products falsely labeled as carpets and textiles, furniture, wheel hub testing equipment, and a casting machine. The listed companies that were shipping the "products" were fake businesses. 

Law enforcement eventually traced Li to the shipments and arrested him Thursday driving near a South El Monte warehouse where a robbery was reported during the early morning of August 8.  

In that warehouse, law enforcement found shipping labels, scales, and a package containing methamphetamine. 

If convicted, Li would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.