Seven individuals from China residing in Massachusetts have been accused of being part of a lucrative drug-trafficking network purportedly involved in growing and selling marijuana throughout the Northeastern United States.
“Today, we apprehended members of a purportedly Chinese-operated drug trafficking group accused of orchestrating a large-scale marijuana cultivation and distribution operation. This scheme has allegedly yielded millions in profits and significantly fueled the illegal drug market in the Northeast,” stated Ted E. Docks, the special agent overseeing the FBI’s Boston Division.
The drug-trafficking operations were purportedly headquartered at a residence in Braintree, Massachusetts. During a raid at the location last October, authorities reportedly uncovered over $270,000 in cash and several Chinese passports. Additional property searches led to the discovery of almost $200,000 in cash, more than 240 pounds of marijuana, and a Rolex watch, as per the DOJ’s report.
Prosecutors say the accused made millions of dollars from the marijuana sales, which they used to buy cars, luxury homes, jewelry and other items, according to the DOJ. (U.S. Department of Justice)
Hongbin Wu and Yanrong Zhu were also reportedly stopped by law enforcement in June 2023 after leaving a Massachusetts grow house, at which point nearly $37,000 in cash was seized from them.
“It is further alleged that the enterprise conducted bulk cash transactions with operators located in the Eastern District of New York,” as noted in the announcement.
The case is part of the nationwide initiative Operation Take Back America, established by the U.S. DOJ to address illegal immigration and combat transnational criminal organizations.
The U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
