Authorities at both the federal and local levels have discovered what they suspect to be an illegal biological laboratory operating out of a Las Vegas residential property, owned by a Chinese national.
Recently released footage from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department highlights a dramatic scene, with a hazmat team removing bags filled with medical tubing, vials, and containers of mysterious liquids from the suburban residence.
In a press conference held on Monday, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill disclosed that investigators found a ‘substantial volume of material’ inside the home’s refrigerators and freezers. This included vials and containers containing liquids with various colors and compositions.
Special Agent Christopher Delzotto, who leads the FBI’s Las Vegas field office, stated that over 1,000 samples were gathered and have been sent for detailed analysis.
The investigation led to the arrest of 55-year-old Ori Solomon, who has been identified as the property manager of the home on Sugar Springs Drive as well as another nearby residence on Temple View. Both locations were thoroughly searched as part of the inquiry.
During the initial search, Delzotto noted the discovery of a biosafety hood, biosafety labels, a centrifuge, numerous refrigerators, and gallon-sized containers containing a red-brown liquid. In addition, there were refrigerated vials holding unidentified substances.
Police confirmed the home is owned by Jia Bei Zhu, the same individual linked to a previous investigation into an alleged illegal biological laboratory discovered in Reedley, California, in 2023. Zhu has remained in custody since that case.
The California discovery later sparked a congressional investigation, which found the lab had allegedly received funding from Chinese banks and stored thousands of biological samples labeled as potential pathogens, including HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, COVID-19 and even Ebola.
Newly released footage from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shows a dramatic hazmat response as agents hauled bags of medical tubing, vials and containers filled with unknown liquids from the suburban property
Authorities swarmed the home on Saturday, taking one person into custody
The homeowner, Zhu, is scheduled to go on trial in the 2023 case in April. His attorney, Anthony Capozzi, said Monday that his client has been in federal custody for three years.
‘He is not involved in any kind of biolab being conducted in a home in Las Vegas,’ Capozzi said. ‘What went on in that residence, we are unaware of.’
Law enforcement rushed to the home near Washington Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard on Saturday, serving a warrant and taking special precautions.
The team used a robot to clear the home and took multiple air samples, McMahill said.
Police said three people were separately renting rooms from the homeowner at the Sugar Springs property and were safely evacuated during the operation.
Investigators confirmed the renters were not connected to the alleged lab or the investigation.
Authorities said the suspected biological laboratory was largely confined to a locked garage inside the home.
The recovered items are ‘consistent’ with what was found in the Reedley investigation, McMahill said.
More than 1,000 samples were taken from the home that have been shipped off for testing
The footage showed a hazmat team pulling bags of unknown material from refrigerators and a freezer
Pictured are individuals in hazmat suits standing outside the home after pulling samples out
When pressed on whether investigators have determined the purpose of the biological materials found inside the home, McMahill acknowledged that authorities are still in the dark.
He said investigators have yet to identify why the substances were stored there or how they were being used, adding that those questions remain central as the case enters its next phase.
McMahill noted that while detectives initially examined other locations believed to be connected to Solomon, all of them have since been eliminated from the investigation.
A freezer was found packed with bags of vials
Authorities sent in a robot and tested the air before sending in the hazmat team
The FBI, SWAT team and a hazmat team worked together at the scene of the Las Vegas home
He emphasized that the most difficult work now lies ahead, as officials attempt to piece together what the materials were, where they came from, and what they were intended for.
Congressman Kevin Kiley (R-CA) is calling for a hearing on the bill to prevent illegal laboratories from continuing to endanger communities.
‘This can’t keep happening,’ said Kiley. ‘The federal government must do more to stop illegal labs from operating in our communities.
‘This bipartisan bill closes loopholes that allow dangerous facilities like these to operate under the radar.’
Kiley added that the illegal biological laboratory found in California was reportedly run by a Chinese national who is a wanted fugitive in Canada, facing a $330 million judgment for stealing American intellectual property.
Authorities said the suspect was a top official at a state-controlled Chinese company and had ties to military-civil fusion programs.
The lab allegedly received millions of dollars in unexplained payments from Chinese banks while it was in operation.
A freezer marked ‘Ebola’ contained sealed silver bags consistent with the lab’s storage of high-risk biological materials. Ebola is a Select Agent with a lethality rate estimated between 25 and 90 percent.
The California lab also reportedly housed nearly a thousand transgenic mice genetically engineered to mimic the human immune system. Lab workers told authorities the mice were designed ‘to catch and carry the COVID-19 virus.’
