Bio lab found in Las Vegas is similar to scene discovered in California, raising questions from officials
Officials in California criticized the federal response to a bio lab found in a Fresno County suburb after a similar setup was found at a home in Las Vegas over the weekend.
The California lab was found in a Reedley home in late 2023. Police said the illegal facility contained "pathogen-labeled containers" with labels that included dengue fever, HIV, and malaria, as well as about 1,000 mice that officials believe were used as test subjects.
Jia Bei Zhu, a Chinese citizen, was arrested in October 2023 and indicted in November. He was charged with distributing adulterated and misbranded medical items, including coronavirus tests, and remains behind bars. He is set to appear in court in April.
Authorities raided a home in Las Vegas early Saturday morning and found a similar set-up inside. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department sheriff Kevin McMahill said that officials found "multiple refrigerators, a freezer, and other laboratory-type equipment, along with numerous bottles and jugs containing unknown liquid substances" inside a locked garage.
"These items, importantly, were consistent in appearance to the items found and described in the Reedley, California lab investigation," McMahill said.
FBI Special Agent in Charge for Las Vegas Christoper Delzotto said agents found items including a centrifuge, biosafety tools and "unknown liquids in gallon-sized containers and refrigerated vials with unknown liquids." More than 1,000 samples were collected from the scene and transported to the National Bioforensic Analysis Center in Maryland, Delzotto said.
McMahill said that the police department "received limited information that laboratory equipment and potentially hazardous materials" were being stored at the Vegas house before the raid.
The investigation revealed that Zhu also owned the Vegas residence and "raised significant concern for what" officers might encounter, McMahill said. A robot was used to clear the house before police entered, and hazmat teams helped move items from the home.
Nicole Zieba, the city manager of Reedley said she was "not surprised about the discovery." Fresno County supervisor Nathan Magsig said items discovered in the Reedley lab "pointed to the fact that there may be additional laboratories in other parts" of the U.S. Zieba said that Reedley officials had tried to warn the federal government.
"I hope they are paying attention because when we tried to raise the flag, we received just such a poor response from the CDC," Zieba said. "It's almost as if they didn't want anything to do with it."
Las Vegas authorities also searched a second home, but found no suspicious materials there. McMahill said police had arrested Ori Solomon, a man believed to be the property manager of both Vegas properties, on an initial charge of disposing and discharging hazardous waste.
Anthony Capozzi, Zhu's attorney, told the Associated Press that his client "is not involved in any kind of a biolab being conducted in a home in Las Vegas." Capozzi said Zhu has been in federal custody for three years.
"What went on in that residence, we are unaware of," Capozzi said.
Federal agents were seen entering the Reedley lab again in the past days. McMahill said the Las Vegas police department still has "a lot of work" ahead of them.
"Vegas is in for a long road," Zieba said. "If it's anything like the Reedley case, there was no manual to pull off the shelves."
