Federal authorities recently conducted a high-profile raid on a home in northeast Las Vegas, uncovering what appears to be an illegal biological laboratory operating in a residential setting. The operation was shut down as federal agents, including the FBI and HazMat teams, discovered refrigerators filled with unknown liquids and vials of suspected biological material. This alarming find prompted immediate action due to the potential risks associated with the materials involved.
At the center of this investigation is Ori Solomon, a 55-year-old property manager, who has been taken into custody and faces felony charges for allegedly mishandling hazardous waste. The property is linked to a shell company tied to Jia Bei Zhu, known as David He, who previously managed an illegal biolab in Reedley, California. Zhu’s connection to the Chinese government and his current status as a fugitive raise numerous questions about the scope and intent of these operations.
A significant aspect of the Las Vegas raid is its link to the prior discovery of a biolab in California, which was exposed in early 2023. That facility, described in reports as being filled with hazardous biological materials, was dubbed a serious health hazard due to its improper handling of pathogens, including E. coli and Malaria. This correlation between the two locations has sparked alarm among lawmakers. Representative Kevin Kiley has voiced concerns, advocating for immediate congressional action to investigate and shut down similar operations across the country.
The findings from Reedley were troubling. Authorities stumbled upon the site when code enforcement officers noticed suspicious activity in what was thought to be a vacant building. An inspection later revealed that the lab was operational, with equipment intended for producing COVID-19 and pregnancy tests, alongside thousands of biological samples.
Prestige BioTech, the company implicated in the Reedley lab, has a controversial history. It is a successor to Universal Meditech, which faced scrutiny for distributing faulty COVID-19 test kits. The lack of regulatory oversight allowed Prestige to operate without proper authorization in California. Court documents reveal that significant amounts of hazardous biological waste were collected from the Reedley site, leading to serious concerns about public health and safety.
With the recent developments in Las Vegas, the stakes have only risen. Investigators are now focused on analyzing over 1,000 samples taken from the scene, with plans for further testing at federal laboratories. Amid growing unease about the integrity of these operations, the narrative surrounding such illegal labs continues to draw heightened attention from both law enforcement and the public.
The revelations serve as a stark reminder of the potential dangers lurking within clandestine laboratories, particularly those linked to foreign entities. As officials work to unravel the implications of these discoveries, the call for transparency and accountability has never been more pressing. The extensive ties between these illegal labs and foreign nationals, especially from China, underscore a complex web of risks that the U.S. must address.
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