5 charged in indictment alleging international drug trafficking
Five suspected members of an international drug trafficking ring based in the San Gabriel Valley were charged in a 27-count indictment Wednesday for their alleged role in conspiring to distribute methamphetamine from Los Angeles County to New Zealand and Australia.
Yangqiang Chen, 45, of Monterey Park, along with Jie Chen, 40, MeiMei Chen, 41, Guorong He, 50, and Yien He, 32 — all of Rosemead — were arrested Wednesday on counts that included conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine after search warrants were executed at three locations in Rosemead and Monterey Park, the U.S. attorney's office said in a news release.
Two of the defendants were also charged with maintaining a drug premises where the methamphetamine was stored and packaged.
Xingyun Chen, 54, a suspected co-conspirator, is in Louisiana in immigration custody. Another suspected co-conspirator, Zuxing Lin, 44, of Rosemead is a fugitive.
Beginning at an unknown date, Yangqiang Chen and Jie Chen are accused of ordering items from online retailers that included spools of 3D printing filament, utility cases, wine opener sets and drive shafts that were used to conceal methamphetamine in international shipments to foreign drug customers, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
The defendants are suspected of packaging the methamphetamine at a residence in Monterey Park.
The packages containing methamphetamine were then delivered to UPS stores and international shipping companies to be shipped to foreign customers.
In one instance last February, Yangqiang Chen is accused of instructing a confidential informant believed by the defendant to be a co-conspirator to contact UPS to identify the location of a package and to change the recipient address to an international shipping business in Torrance, according to the indictment.
A total of 91 packages containing almost 200 kilograms of methamphetamine destined for foreign countries were seized by law enforcement officials over the course of their investigation. The value of the drugs, if sold in Australia and New Zealand, was estimated to exceed $20 million, according to the indictment.
About 40 pounds of methamphetamine, more than $100,000 in cash, and more than 1,000 gift cards from various retailers were seized during the search warrants Wednesday.
Each defendant faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison if convicted of all charges.