The FBI has arrested a Southern California man for trying to ship a ton of meth to Australia. -AP
A man has been arrested in the US and charged with trying to ship more than 1000 kilograms of methamphetamine to Australia.
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Jing Tang Li, 32, was arrested on Thursday near a warehouse in South El Monte, about 20km east of Los Angeles. He is charged with distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, exportation of controlled substances and more.
According to court documents, US customs officers inspected seven Australia-bound shipments from February to December of 2023 sent by fake companies and labelled as carpets and textiles, furniture, wheel hub testing equipment and a casting machine.
Instead, they contained more than 1000kg of methamphetamine.
Law enforcement traced Li to the shipments and arrested him driving near a warehouse where a robbery was reported. They discovered shipping labels, scales and packages of methamphetamine.
Li appeared in a Los Angeles court on Friday. If convicted, he would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years.
"Being a mere three hours north of the busiest land border crossing in the Western Hemisphere has made Los Angeles a critical cog in the transnational narcotics trafficking trade," Homeland Security Investigations agent Eddy Wang said in a news release.
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