Body
SWAT officers in Las Vegas served a search warrant on Saturday after a tip led investigators to a suspected biolaboratory at a home on the city’s east side, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Authorities took one person into custody—the property manager of the residence—and said there was no immediate information about possible charges. Investigators also said there is no threat to the public as the investigation continues.
The police said investigators located evidence of possible biological material, including refrigerators containing vials with unknown liquids. The sheriff said Hazmat teams worked to remove items from the home, and law enforcement took special precautions during the operation, including using a robot to clear the home and taking multiple air samples.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill said the home is owned by Jia Bei Zhu, a man who was arrested in 2023 in connection with what officials described as an unauthorized California biolab. McMahill said that earlier case involved charges tied to not obtaining the proper permits to manufacture tests for COVID-19, pregnancy and HIV, as well as mislabeling some of the kits for the biolab in Reedley, California.
Officials said Zhu is scheduled to go on trial in April in the 2023 case. Capozzi, Zhu’s attorney, said Monday that Zhu has been in federal custody for three years. Capozzi said, “He is not involved in any kind of a biolab being conducted in a home in Las Vegas,” and added, “What went on in that residence we are unaware of.”
Investigators said the FBI is assisting in the Las Vegas probe.