Illegal cannabis business operators charged with murder after five of their workers die, prosecutors say
According to the L.A. County district attorney's office, Ted Chien, 53, and Han Quan Jiao, 55, administered the operation, which included at least nine locations countywide.
In October 2023, an explosion occurred at a warehouse in Irwindale that was allegedly being used for honey oil extraction, prosecutors said in a statement. Four workers — Yi Luo, Xin Chen, Guangqi Fu and Quizhuo Liang — were killed in the blast.
Another employee, Bordin "Tony" Sikarin, was killed just over a year later in a fire that broke out at a laboratory in South El Monte, according to the district attorney's office. Prosecutors allege that the location was also run by Chien and Jiao.
Read more: A massacre that killed 6 reveals the treacherous world of illegal pot in SoCal deserts
The two are accused of continuing to distribute illegal concentrated cannabis even after the deaths of the five workers, officials said.
"This case shows the deadly and disastrous results when illegal cannabis operations recklessly put greed over the safety of their employees and neighbors," said L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman. "Cannabis may be legal in California, but this kind of high-risk, illegal activity is not."
Chien, of Temple City, has been charged with five counts of murder and two felony counts of arson causing great bodily injury, prosecutors said. Jiao, of Rosemead, faces one count of murder and arson causing great bodily injury.
The two also face eight felony counts of manufacturing a controlled substance and three felony counts of maintaining a place for selling or using a controlled substance, according to the district attorney's office.
If convicted as charged, prosecutors say Chien could face a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Jiao could face a life sentence.
Read more: California hails $544 million in illegal weed seizures. But it's just a drop in the bucket
Several workers were also charged for their alleged involvement in the enterprise, the district attorney's office said. Xiaolong Deng, 36; Chengyan Xu, 61; Christopher Reyes, 30; and Frank Herrera, 35, allegedly worked for Chien and Jiao. They each face one count of conspiracy to manufacture concentrated cannabis, a controlled substance.
Reyes, Herrera and Deng were also each charged with one count of manufacturing and compounding or producing a controlled substance. Xu was charged with two counts of the same offense, officials said.
The case was being investigated by the district attorney's Bureau of Investigation, as well as several other agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Service.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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