LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Five alleged members of an international drug trafficking ring based in the San Gabriel Valley were arrested Wednesday for allegedly shipping methamphetamine from Los Angeles County to Australia and New Zealand.
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A 27-count federal grand jury indictment charges the defendants with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute the drug. Two of the defendants also have been charged with maintaining premises where the methamphetamine was stored and packaged, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The following defendants are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in federal court in Santa Ana:
-- Yangqiang Chen, 45, of Monterey Park;
-- Jie Chen, 40, of Rosemead;
-- MeiMei Chen, 41, of Rosemead;
-- Guorong He, 50 of Rosemead; and
-- Yien He, 32, of Rosemead.
A sixth defendant, Zuxing Lin, 44, of Rosemead, is currently a fugitive, according to federal prosecutors. A seventh, Xingyun Chen, 54, is now in Louisiana in immigration custody.
Prosecutors said that law enforcement seized 91 packages of methamphetamine destined for foreign countries. In those packages, authorities allegedly seized almost 441 pounds of methamphetamine. The value of the drugs seized, if sold in Australia and New Zealand, exceeds $20 million, according to law enforcement estimates.
During search warrants executed Wednesday at three locations in Rosemead and Monterey Park, law enforcement seized about 40 pounds of methamphetamine, more than $100,000 in cash, and more than 1,000 gift cards from various retailers, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The indictment filed in L.A. federal court alleges that defendants Yangqiang Chen and Jie Chen ordered and received items from online retailers, such as spools of 3D printing filament, utility cases, wine opener sets, and drive shafts, for use in concealing methamphetamine in international shipments to foreign drug customers.
Zuxing Lin, Meimei Chen, Xingyun Chen, Guorong He, and Yien He packaged the methamphetamine, at a residence in Monterey Park and elsewhere, for delivery to foreign drug customers, prosecutors allege.
Yangqiang Chen, Zuxing Lin, Meimei Chen, Xingyun Chen, and Yien He delivered the packages containing methamphetamine to UPS stores and international shipping companies so they could be shipped to foreign drug customers, the indictment alleges.
If convicted of all charges, each defendant would face a sentence of between 10 years and life in federal prison, prosecutors noted.
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