Chinese nationals indicted for smuggling synthetic drugs into U.S. prisons

Two Chinese nationals, Lisa Xing, 36, and Zhanwen Song, 38, have been indicted in the Eastern District of Texas for drug trafficking and money laundering. The pair was arrested in China during a joint operation involving the FBI and China’s Ministry of Public Security.

Prosecutors allege the defendants supplied synthetic opioids, cannabinoids, and other stimulants from China to domestic distributors in the United States. Co-defendants Adell Willis of Texas and Judy Ly of Michigan allegedly received these substances, dissolved them into liquid, and saturated sheets of paper with the mixture. These drug-soaked papers were then mailed to inmates at various federal and state prisons across the country.

U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs stated that the indictment describes a scheme where a China-based supplier and a domestic distributor worked together to bring deadly synthetic drugs into the U.S. for nationwide distribution.