Yilei Zhou, a 36-year-old Chinese national, was sentenced on Aug. 5 by United States District Judge Greg G. Guidry in New Orleans to 24 months’ imprisonment, four years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 100 kilograms of marijuana in violation of federal law.
According to court documents, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agents observed Zhou on April 14, 2025, picking up Hanjie Wu, identified as a known marijuana distributor, from an airport in Houston and driving him to Katy, Texas. There they met Zihang Zeng before traveling together to Denham Springs, Louisiana. The following day, Wei Bin Chen and Like Chen left Denham Springs for a storage facility where they retrieved multiple large trash bags from a unit before proceeding to another storage facility in Slidell. Zhou and Wu then drove separately but arrived at the same Slidell facility where all parties met Aaron Steele. Wei Bin Chen and Like Chen loaded the bags into Steele’s vehicle before everyone departed.
Forrest County Sheriff’s deputies later stopped Chen’s vehicle on Interstate 59 toward Hattiesburg, Mississippi; a consensual search led officers to seize approximately 43.5 kilograms of marijuana. Mississippi Police Department officers also conducted a traffic stop of Steele’s vehicle on Interstate 59 in Picayune; their search resulted in the seizure of about 22.7 kilograms of marijuana.
Following these seizures near Slidell and in Mississippi, Livingston Parish officers obtained warrants for the residence and storage facility in Denham Springs. When arriving at the residence, officers arrested Zeng as he attempted to flee; inside they found $1,552 cash along with hundreds of rubber bands, a vacuum sealer, and a money counter. From the storage unit, authorities seized an additional 38.5 kilograms of marijuana.
The investigation involved cooperation among several agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration; sheriff’s offices from St. Tammany Parish, Livingston Parish, and Forrest County (Mississippi); as well as police from Picayune (Mississippi). Prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys André Jones and Nolan D. Paige.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion—a partnership aiming at eliminating criminal cartels operating within or outside U.S. borders through interagency collaboration.