E. Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California
Two men from Hacienda Heights have been arrested on charges related to a smuggling operation involving contraband from China through Los Angeles-area ports. The Justice Department announced the arrests of Zhongliang Wang, 39, and Chenyu Zhao, 31, both facing charges of conspiracy and illegally removing goods from customs custody.
Wang was apprehended on Wednesday, while Zhao was detained last Thursday at an airport as he attempted to board a flight to China. According to allegations, they directed cargo containers flagged for secondary inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to unauthorized locations. There, they allegedly unloaded the contraband, replaced it with filler cargo, and returned the containers for inspection in an effort to deceive customs officials.
Law enforcement has seized over $1.3 billion worth of contraband linked to this scheme and similar operations. A search of a warehouse used by the group revealed counterfeit luxury goods and approximately 19.5 kilograms of enobosarm, an illicit steroid.
“Protecting our nation’s borders from illegal smuggling is a top priority,” stated Acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally. “These arrests highlight the unrelenting efforts of law enforcement to dismantle criminal networks that seek to exploit our trade system and endanger American businesses and consumers.”
Court documents indicate that Zhao and others maintained warehouses for storing and selling illegally imported goods. They hired truck drivers to transport containers from ports to their controlled locations where security seals were broken, contraband removed, and counterfeit seals affixed before returning them for inspection.
The complaint alleges that Wang paid $15,000 in December 2024 to divert a single container. Both men face potential sentences if convicted: up to five years per conspiracy count and up to ten years per count of breaking customs seals.
The investigation involves Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Coast Guard Investigative Services as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations.
Assistant United States Attorneys Colin S. Scott and Amanda B. Elbogen are prosecuting the case.
