Israeli Ties to Chinese Biolab Network spanning from California to Nevada
- 17GEN4
- Mar 25
- 3 min read
Code Enforcement Officer Stumbles Upon Clandestine Biolab in California Warehouse, Sparking Probe With Alleged Chinese Ties
REEDLEY, Calif. — What began as a routine inspection of a foul-smelling, seemingly abandoned warehouse in this quiet Central Valley town has unraveled into a federal case involving dangerous pathogens, counterfeit medical devices, unexplained multimillion-dollar transfers from China, and questions about gaps in U.S. biosafety oversight.
In late 2023, Jesalyn Harper, a local code enforcement officer, followed her nose — and a suspicious green garden hose snaking from the building — into a sprawling warehouse on I Street in Reedley, a city of about 25,000 residents roughly 30 minutes outside Fresno. What she found inside was chilling: dozens of refrigerators and freezers stocked with vials of liquids labeled “Malaria,” “COVID-19,” “HIV,” and other infectious agents; bags marked with what appeared to be illicit drugs; and evidence of roughly 1,000 lab-tested mice whose droppings littered the floors. Workers were even filling pregnancy test kits on site.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention later identified at least 20 potential infectious agents in the facility, including dengue, hepatitis B and C, herpes simplex virus, rubella, and SARS coronavirus. Refrigerators bore ominous labels such as “blood” and “Ebola.” Harper later recalled realizing she was “in trouble” and needing to exit without alerting anyone inside. “I couldn’t get them to move on it,” she said of federal agencies’ response to later warnings about a related site. “The attitude really has been, well, we caught the guy. We did our part.”
Federal prosecutors say the operation was run by Jia Bei Zhu, a Chinese national also known as David He, through companies including Universal Meditech Inc. and Prestige Biotech Inc. Zhu faces charges of manufacturing and distributing misbranded medical devices, making false statements to the FDA, wire fraud, and conspiracy. Authorities allege the lab was part of a scheme to import COVID-19 test kits from China and market them as U.S.-made.
Zhu’s girlfriend, Zhaoyan Wang, and their newborn son fled to China shortly after the initial raid. She was later charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and distribution of adulterated and misbranded devices.
A congressional investigation by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party added another layer of concern: more than $1.3 million in unexplained payments flowed to Zhu from banks in the People’s Republic of China. The committee’s report described the Reedley biolab as evidence of “the profound threat that unlicensed and unknown biolabs pose to our country” and highlighted “significant gaps in our nation’s defenses and pathogen-related regulations.”
Zhu, who previously held positions in Chinese biological and agricultural firms and was a fugitive from Canadian fraud charges involving stolen cattle technology, has pleaded not guilty and denied operating any biolab. His attorney, Anthony Capozzi, called suggestions of Chinese government ties “the furthest thing from the truth,” noting that Zhu had sought asylum in the U.S. due to alleged persecution by Beijing.
The case didn’t end in Reedley. In January 2026, Las Vegas police raided a five-bedroom home on Sugar Springs Drive that Zhu had used as bail collateral. There, officers found lab equipment, more than 1,000 samples of unknown liquid consistent with materials from the California site, a cache of weapons, and improperly stored hazardous waste. Israeli citizen Ori Solomon, who managed the property, was arrested on federal weapons charges and for hazardous waste violations.
Reedley City Manager Nicole Zieba said officials were “not surprised” by the Nevada connection, and all biological materials have since been removed from the warehouse.
FBI and local authorities have stressed a methodical approach to testing the samples. “We recognize the public is seeking clarity,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Delzotto in Las Vegas. “In cases like this, our process relies on being slow and methodical.”
Experts and lawmakers warn the episode exposes broader vulnerabilities. With no comprehensive national monitoring system for small or unlicensed laboratories, the true number of such facilities operating in the U.S. remains unknown. The Reedley discovery has fueled calls for tighter regulations on pathogen handling and foreign-linked biotech operations.
Zhu remains in custody awaiting trial. Wang has not entered a plea. As investigators continue piecing together the network spanning California, Nevada, and China, Harper’s chance encounter with a bad odor has become a cautionary tale about biosecurity risks hiding in plain sight — or, in this case, behind a putrid warehouse door.
Comments