U.S. Department of Justice charges Chinese nationals for running illegal biology lab found to contain mice infected with coronavirus

Chinese national Zhu Jiabei was charged on Thursday with criminal conduct related to a clandestine biological laboratory he ran in California that was found to contain a number of dangerous pathogens, including Covid-19.

In late July, Chinese medical company Prestige Biotech was found to be operating a medical laboratory in Reedley, California, where thousands of rats were infected with diseases including HIV, E. coli, malaria, and Covid-19. The undercover investigative facility was uncovered when a garden hose at the property was found to be illegally connected to the building.

Bei Zhu, 62, was charged with “manufacturing and distributing counterfeit medical devices” after selling Covid-19 test kits without FDA authorization.

“According to court documents, between December 2020 and March 2023, Zhu and others manufactured, imported, sold and distributed hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 test kits, in addition to testing kits for HIV, pregnancy, clinical urine fluid analysis and other disease testing kits in the United States and China,” the Eastern District of California said in a press release.

Zhu works in an unlicensed laboratory in Reedley, California. Owned by Prestige Biotech Inc., the successor to a defunct Chinese biotech company.

“There was a special room that housed about 1,000 white lab rats,” City Manager Nicole Zieba told local news outlets after the initial discovery. “This is an unusual situation. I have worked in government for 25 years. I have never seen anything like this,” she added. According to the official, at least 200 rats were found dead. The rest were County euthanasia.

Prestige Biotech was the largest creditor of now-defunct Universal Meditech and took control of the company following its bankruptcy. The Chinese-owned company did not have a license to operate in California.Wang Zhaolin, spokesperson of Privi Biotechnology, told reporters san joaquin valley sun

It was previously reported that the mice were “genetically modified to capture and carry the Covid-19 virus.”

Court documents further reveal that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tested more than 800 chemicals found at the site and found more than 20 infectious agents, including hepatitis B and C, Streptococcus pneumoniae, chlamydia, rubella and herpes1 and 5. “Certain rooms of the warehouse were found to contain several liquid containers and various equipment,” the document reads. “Fresno County Public Health staff also observed blood, tissue and other body fluid samples and serum; as well as several Thousands of vials of unlabeled liquids and suspected biological material.”

“I’ve been in this department for 30 years and I don’t recall a situation like this,” Fresno Public Health Officer David Luchini told another local newspaper.

The release also accuses Zhu of making false statements to the FDA, specifically regarding the production of over-the-counter coronavirus testing kits. “Consumers who unknowingly use these misbranded COVID-19 tests risk obtaining an erroneous COVID-19 status,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert M. Iwanicki, a member of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations in Los Angeles. As a result, there is a risk that this could lead to further spread of the virus.” Field Office. “We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who endanger the health of American consumers.”