FeiShang Liang, Maritime Drug Smuggling, Texas 2018
A major maritime drug smuggling case has come to a close in Texas, with two Chinese nationals sentenced for their involvement. FeiShang Liang, 52, and KanHua Wu, 51, both of the People's Republic of China, were found guilty by a jury of maritime drug smuggling violations following a four-day trial on August 2, 2018.
Liang, the captain of the fishing vessel, and Wu, the ship's engineer, were arrested on November 24, 2016, after a United States Coast Guard Cutter detected the vessel in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The crew members aboard the fishing vessel began throwing packages overboard, but law enforcement officers recovered 42 packages containing 983 kilograms of cocaine and the seven crew members were arrested and charged with maritime drug smuggling violations.
Testimony at trial revealed that Liang was the ship's captain and Wu was the engineer. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter monitoring the vessel caught both Liang and Wu on videotape as they threw over one ton of cocaine outfitted with GPS trackers into the ocean as they were being pursued by the Coast Guard.
On November 13, 2018, Wu was sentenced to 235 months in federal prison. Today, Liang was sentenced to Life in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant, III.
We are committed to dismantling drug trafficking organizations and their entire global enterprise, said Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown. The work done by the Drug Enforcement Administration and United States Coast Guard in investigating this case has been outstanding in every respect.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jay R. Combs and Christopher Eason.
In related news, authorities continue to crack down on drug trafficking organizations, with a focus on dismantling their global enterprise.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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