2 charged with murder for explosion, fire that left 5 dead at Los Angeles County cannabis laboratories
On Oct. 9, 2023, four people died when a warehouse in the 1400 block of Arrow Highway in Irwindale exploded, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Prosecutors say that all four of the victims were employees at the warehouse, which was being used for honey oil extraction.
Nearly a year after, another person died at a laboratory in South El Monte, which was also being used as an illegal cannabis operation, prosecutors said.
On Friday, Ted Chien, 54, was charged with five counts of murder in connection with the explosion and fire, which killed Yi Luo, 47, of Baldwin Park, Xin Chen, 59, of Rosemead, Guangqi Fu, 35, of Chino and Quizhuo Liang, 35, of Monterey Park and Bordin "Tony" Sikarin, 57, of Buena Park.
Those murder charges against Chien also include the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, prosecutors said during a news conference on Friday. They are expected to decide at a later time whether to seek the death penalty against Chien, who also faces two counts of felony arson causing great bodily injury, three felony counts of maintaining a place for selling or using a controlled substance and eight felony counts of manufacturing a controlled substance.
Chien's parter, 55-year-old Rosemead man Han Quan Jiao, was also charged with one count of murder in connection with the deadly fire in South El Monte. Additionally, he faces one count of arson causing great bodily injury, three counts of maintaining a place for selling or using a controlled substance and eight counts of manufacturing a controlled substance. If convicted as charged, Jiao faces life in prison, the DA's office said.
Both Chien and Jiao are scheduled for arraignment on Sept. 11 in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom. Both are accused of continuing the illicit operation, illegal extracting and distributing concentrated cannabis, despite the deaths of their employees, prosecutors said.
Four other people were charged on Friday, all of whom also allegedly worked for Chien and Jiao.
Xiaolong Deng, 36, Chengyan Xu, 61, Christopher Reyes, 30, and Frank Herrera, 35, each face one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance.
Xu was also charged with two counts of manufacturing and compounding or producing a controlled substances, while the other three were charged with one count of the same offense, the DA's office noted.
Deng, Xu and Reyes are expected back in court on Sept. 24 after previously entering not guilty pleas. At that time, a judge will determine if there is substantial evidence to allow the case against them proceed to trail. Herrera is due in court on Monday for arraignment.
Xu faces a maximum sentence of eight years and eight months in prison, while Deng, Reyes and Herrera each face up to seven years if convicted as charged, prosecutors said.
More than 150 law enforcement agents served search warrants at nine different Los Angeles County locations earlier this week in connection with the investigation, which they dubbed "Operation Sugar Diamond," according to the DA's office.
"This case shows the deadly and disastrous results when illegal cannabis operations recklessly put greed over the safety of their employees and neighbors," said a statement from LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. "Cannabis may be legal in California, but this kind of high-risk, illegal activity is not. These drug-trafficking organizations have no place in our communities and my office will continue to work with law enforcement at the local, state and federal levels to hold those accountable who engage in this illicit trade."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
British holidaymaker arrested in Florida resort after 'trying to drown daughter-in-law in swimming pool'
A British holidaymaker has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after he allegedly tried to drown his daughter-in-law. Mark Gibbon, 62, was with his family at the Solterra Resort in Davenport, Florida when he reportedly got into an argument over the "stipulations of his will". According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Gibbon attempted to push the relative, 33, under the swimming pool at their place near Disney World. His granddaughter, nine, reportedly jumped into the pool to try and save her mother but he pushed her away. He is said to have stopped the alleged attempted drowning when two neighbouring sisters said they had called 911. Gibbon, of Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, was taken into custody on August 3 just after 5.15pm. He allegedly admitted to pushing his daughter-in-law under the water but denied trying to drown her. 'She advised that she could not breathe and believed that she was going to drown,' deputies wrote. '(The victim) advised that she had to fight Mark in order to get away from him and from under the water but he kept pushing her back under.' Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said: 'It's great that Polk County draws visitors from all across the world, but we expect vacationers to behave while they visit with us, just as we expect our lifelong residents to do the same. 'Because Mr Gibbon couldn't control his anger, he may find himself spending a lot more time in Florida than he had anticipated.' He has now been charged with attempted second-degree murder and battery. He is due in court on September 9. Gibbon is a lighting technician who runs his own company, MRG Lighting, and has worked on music videos for the likes of Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Paloma Faith.
CNN
11 minutes ago
- CNN
Vance dinner seen as potential way to clear the air between Bondi and Patel on Epstein scandal
A dinner scheduled Wednesday night at Vice President JD Vance's residence was seen as an opportunity for Trump administration officials to realign amid the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein scandal, according to four people familiar with the situation. That would include a potential chance for Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, who had been at odds over the response, to clear the air. As of Wednesday afternoon, administration officials familiar with the meeting said the dinner was now in flux, given its intense coverage, and it was unclear whether it would ultimately be called off, moved to another location or rescheduled. Bondi and Patel's tense relationship was thrown into the spotlight last month after a contentious White House meeting with chief of staff Susie Wiles over the handling of the Epstein case. That meeting also prompted questions about FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino's future with the administration. In the hours and days after the blowup, Vance tried to smooth over the conflict, fielding calls from Bondi, Patel and Bongino in between rides with his family at Disneyland. The vice president achieved his mission, one person familiar told CNN, and Bongino went back to work the next Monday — though three administration officials said they believe he will likely eventually leave his post and return to hosting his podcast once the Epstein blowback subsides. Vance was expected to reprise his peacemaker role again Wednesday. Sources told CNN the dinner would be a good opportunity to realign. 'It's a way to get everyone together in an informal, low-stakes situation,' one source briefed on the dinner told CNN. CNN previously reported that Wiles, Bondi, Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche were expected to gather at Vance's residence Wednesday evening as the administration weighs whether to publish an audio recording and transcript of Blanche's recent conversation with Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. The administration's handling of the Epstein case, as well as the need to craft a unified response, was expected to be a main focus of the dinner. Vance's office denied such a meeting was taking place. 'As we've said publicly, there was never a supposed meeting scheduled at the Vice President's residence to discuss Epstein Strategy. Any reporting to the contrary is false,' William Martin, Vance's communications director, said in a statement. The Justice Department declined to comment, deferring to the vice president's office. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Despite talks of canceling the dinner, two officials said it could still take place, though the location may change. They argued the focus of the meeting would likely be broader than solely discussing the administration's handling of the Epstein case. The group sitdown, if it moves forward, comes after Patel had been traveling for several weeks, opening field offices in New Zealand and Australia. Some officials said they believe this could be the ideal time for a reset, as the White House seeks to reclaim the narrative around the Epstein case and present a unified front after weeks on the defensive. Months before the Department of Justice released a memo on the Epstein case that contradicted many of the conspiracy theories surrounding the investigation, tension was already quietly building between the FBI and Department of Justice, multiple sources told CNN. FBI leadership griped behind closed doors that Bondi was spending more time on Fox News talking about the Epstein files than actually reviewing them, despite the agency having delivered the files to her office weeks prior, those sources said. FBI officials cringed when Bondi indicated in a Fox News interview in February that the Epstein client list was sitting on her desk, those sources added, as it had already been determined that there was no official client list that would be released. And when the memo — which contradicted many of the conspiracy theories circulating in far-right circles about Epstein — was finally released, it was Patel and Bongino who bore the brunt from the MAGA right, after they'd repeatedly promised full transparency. During the meeting with Wiles last month, Bondi, Patel and Bongino clashed over the handling of the investigation and Bongino was accused of leaking negative stories about Bondi. The deputy director denied the allegations and stormed out of the meeting, later telling Patel and others that he might not return to his post.
CNN
12 minutes ago
- CNN
New bodycam footage shows Manhattan gunmen suffering mental health episodes
Newly released police reports and body camera footage are shedding light on the troubled path that led a shooter on a cross-country drive from his home in Las Vegas to the skyscraper in Manhattan where he killed four people last week before turning the gun on himself. CNN's Brynn Gingras reports.
