⏱ 2 min read
A Chinese national, Zihang Zeng, 24, has been caught up in a large-scale marijuana distribution operation in Louisiana. On April 14, 2025, DEA Special Agents observed a group of individuals, including Zeng, Yilei Zhou, and Hanjie Wu, traveling from Houston, Texas to Denham Springs, Louisiana. The following day, two other individuals, Wei Bin Chen and Like Chen, retrieved multiple large trash bags from a storage unit and drove to another storage facility in Slidell, Louisiana, where they met with an individual identified as Aaron Steele.
Forrest County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop of Chen’s vehicle on Interstate 59 headed towards Hattiesburg, Mississippi, seizing approximately 43.5 kilograms of marijuana. Mississippi Police Department officers also conducted a traffic stop of Steele’s vehicle on Interstate 59 in Picayune, Mississippi, seizing approximately 22.7 kilograms of marijuana.
Based on the seizures, Livingston Parish officers obtained search warrants for the residence and storage facility in Denham Springs. When the officers arrived at the residence, Zeng ran from the scene and was arrested. On May 13, 2026, Zeng pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, a mixture and substance containing one hundred kilograms or more of a detectable amount of marijuana.
Zeng’s guilty plea is a significant development in the case, which highlights the ongoing efforts of law enforcement agencies to combat large-scale marijuana distribution operations in the United States. The case is a reminder of the serious consequences of engaging in such activities, and the importance of cooperation between federal, state, and local agencies in disrupting and dismantling these operations.
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📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Drug Trafficking
- Defendant: Louisiana
- Location: LA
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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