Residents of a central California city are in shock after the unmasking of a hidden illegal virus laboratory in a warehouse containing dangerous biohazards, including coronavirus, HIV, and malaria. Last spring, city authorities stumbled upon this clandestine operation by chance when they noticed a rogue hose protruding from the back of the warehouse.
The revelation led them to a shady biotech company connected to China, which had transformed the warehouse into an underground lab equipped with industrial freezers and hundreds of vials filled with deadly pathogens.
Swift action by the investigators
Reedley City Manager, Nicole Zieba, who has served in government for 25 years, described it as an unprecedented situation, saying, “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
A search warrant was swiftly issued, allowing government officials to inspect the nondescript building. To their shock, they uncovered a room housing around 1,000 lab mice in distressing conditions, with approximately 200 of them already dead.
Assistant Director of the Fresno County Department of Public Health, Joe Prado, revealed that the illegal virus laboratory was using these mice for testing related to COVID test kits found on-site. He explained, “They were utilizing laboratory mice to see whether or not the Covid test kits were actually testing for Covid. So that was the purpose for the laboratory mice on-site.”
However, it was not specified whether any of these Covid tests had been distributed or sold to the public. In addition to the mice, the investigators also came across a collection of vials containing various biomaterials, such as blood and tissue.
Moreover, there were several unlabeled chemicals, some of which were found to contain coronavirus and various bacterial and viral pathogens, including HIV, chlamydia, E. Coli, streptococcus pneumonia, hepatitis B and C, herpes 1 and 5, rubella, and malaria.
More details by the investigators
Government investigators further uncovered COVID diagnostic and pregnancy tests at the facility, hinting at possible ongoing developments in these areas. Additionally, they found at least 20 stored infectious agents, such as coronavirus, HIV, hepatitis, and herpes.
This unlicensed lab operated under the name Prestige Biotech, with its president, Xiuquin Yao, claiming it was a successor to the now-defunct company Universal Meditech Inc. However, when officials followed leads to company addresses, they encountered empty office buildings or addresses in China that couldn’t be verified.
The investigation, spanning several months, concluded in early July with the proper disposal of all hazardous chemicals and substances, both labeled and unlabeled. While authorities continue to delve into the origins of this alarming lab, they assure the public that those in the surrounding area are out of harm’s way.
Right in our own backyard
‼️ ⚠️❗ALERT – Discovered in California a secret Chinese medical laboratory that conducted Covid-19 EXPERIMENTS on mice and harbored numerous dangerous pathogens pic.twitter.com/T0rTOgXhbZ
— {Matt} $XRPatriot (@matttttt187) July 30, 2023
Mr. Prado pointed out that the illegal virus laboratory lacked essential safety measures. He emphasized that their own public health department operates a lab and is well-versed in legal requirements and proper management of infectious agents, but these critical controls were completely absent at the discovered warehouse.
The investigation remains ongoing, with federal partners conducting their own inquiries, which may lead to further revelations in the future. As City Manager Nicole Zieba stated, “Some of our federal partners still have active investigations going I can only speak to the building side of it.”