Niamh Shackleton
Police carried out a search warrant at a property in Las Vegas over the weekend and found what's believed to be an illegal biolab inside.
According to officials, the home is question, near East Washington Avenue and North Hollywood Boulevard, had potentially hazardous materials inside. Because of these concerns the SWAT team had to carry out the search while wearing hazmat suits.
Law enforcement also had to use a robot to clear the home and take air samples, Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said, per CNN.
They found 'possible biological material' inside the property, including 'refrigerators containing vials of unknown liquids'.
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Reportedly, the homeowner is Chinese national Jia Bei Zhu who was arrested back in 2023 after he was found to be operating an unauthorized California biolab.
He is accused of manufacturing and distributing misbranded medical devices in violation of the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and for making false statements to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a two-year-old press release from the US Attorney's Office states.
Speaking at a press conference, McMahill shared more details about the complex and dangerous search carried out.
He said in a new statement issued on Facebook yesterday (February 3): "A little over a week ago, LVMPD received information that laboratory equipment and potentially hazardous materials may have been stored inside the home.
"As investigators looked deeper, they learned the property owner was connected to a 2023 illegal biological laboratory investigation in Reedley, California.
"In that California case, investigators reportedly discovered materials possibly associated with infectious diseases including hepatitis, COVID-19, HIV, malaria, and other potentially dangerous pathogens."
See video footage of the search here:
McMahill continued to detail: "Investigators focused on a locked garage believed to contain the materials. To minimize risk, LVMPD deployed drones for aerial awareness and a tactical robot to clear the interior and conduct air sampling before personnel entered.
"Once safe to proceed, the ARMOR team entered wearing protective equipment. Investigators observed refrigerators, a freezer, laboratory-type."
The whole operation took over 24 hours, with investigators entering the property in the early hours of Saturday morning and wrapping up the search Sunday evening.
The samples discovered at the house have been sent off to the FBI for testing. In regards to arrests, 55-year-old Ori Solomon has been charged with disposing and discharging hazardous waste.
While officials say the property is owned by Jia Bei Zhu, his lawyer says that his client was 'not involved in any kind of a biolab being conducted in a home in Las Vegas'.
"What went on in that residence we are unaware of," he added to CNN.