Federal and local authorities are investigating a suspected biological laboratory found inside a Las Vegas residence that they said is owned by a person connected to a 2023 illegal biolaboratory probe in Central California.

A SWAT team with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department assisted the Federal Bureau of Investigation with serving a search warrant at a residence in northeast Las Vegas on Saturday, Jan. 31, according to police. During the search, police said investigators discovered “evidence of possible biological material to include refrigerators with vials containing unknown liquids.”

The search ended early on Monday, Feb. 2, and authorities said investigators recovered over 1,000 pieces of evidence from the residence.

“(Las Vegas police) utilized several technology platforms to safely enter and assess the location before investigators entered the home,” police said in a statement. “Some of that evidence included biological material and liquids that were meticulously collected and sent to FBI labs for testing.”

Further investigation revealed that the residence’s owner was tied to a 2023 illegal biolaboratory investigation in rural California, according to police. The owner, Jia Bei Zhu, has been in federal custody on charges related to the California investigation.

Another suspect, Ori Solomon, 55, was arrested in connection with the Las Vegas investigation and was booked into the Clark County Detention Center for disposing of and discharging hazardous waste, police said. Solomon was the property manager for the Las Vegas residence and a nearby home that was also searched, according to police.

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Laboratory-type equipment, containers with unknown substances discovered inside garage

In an update on Monday, Feb. 2, police said they received information over a week ago that laboratory equipment and potentially hazardous materials may have been stored inside a residence in northeast Las Vegas.

“As investigators looked deeper, they learned the property owner was connected to a 2023 illegal biological laboratory investigation in Reedley, California,” police said in a statement. “In that California case, investigators reportedly discovered materials possibly associated with infectious diseases, including hepatitis, COVID-19, HIV, malaria, and other potentially dangerous pathogens.”

Though it was unknown at the time whether similar materials were present at the Las Vegas residence, police said they launched a joint investigation with the FBI, local fire departments, and other state agencies.

Shortly before 6 a.m. local time on Saturday, Jan. 31, police said a SWAT team served a search warrant at the residence and removed three people who were renting rooms inside the home but were not involved in the investigation. Investigators then searched a locked garage at the home they believed contained the potentially hazardous materials.

During the search, police said they deployed drones and a tactical robot to clear the area and conduct air sampling before personnel wearing protective equipment entered the garage.

At a news conference, Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said investigators immediately observed numerous items, including laboratory-type equipment and containers with an unknown liquid substance, that were “consistent in appearance to the items found and described” in the 2023 California investigation.

“Initial search of the garage… identified a bio-safety hood, a bio-safety sticker, a centrifuge, multiple refrigerators, red-brown unknown liquids in gallon-sized containers and refrigerated vials with unknown liquids,” Christopher Delzotto, FBI Special Agent in Charge at the Las Vegas office, said during the news conference.

Police noted that due to the “unknown nature of the materials,” the operation required multiple controlled entries and decontamination procedures. Evidence collection continued through Sunday, Feb. 1, and the materials were later transferred to an FBI laboratory for testing.

Remediation of the residence was completed at about 2:30 a.m. local time on Monday, Feb. 2, and final site checks were conducted before the scene was cleared and confirmed safe, according to McMahill.

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2023 California biolab investigation

A monthslong investigation into a rural California warehouse uncovered an illegal laboratory filled with samples of infectious agents, medical waste, and mice bioengineered “to catch and carry the COVID-19 virus,” local authorities said in July 2023.

At the time, authorities said a Chinese medical company registered in Nevada was operating the unlicensed facility in Reedley, California, a small city southeast of Fresno, California. Health officials launched an investigation into the facility in December 2022 after a code enforcement officer noticed a garden hose attached to a building that was presumed to be vacant and had no active business license.

Further inspection revealed that the facility housed various chemicals, suspected biological materials, bodily fluids, and hundreds of lab mice, among other lab supplies, according to court documents.

In October 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California announced that Zhu, who also used various other aliases, had been arrested for manufacturing and distributing misbranded medical devices and for making false statements to the Food and Drug Administration.

From December 2020 to March 2023, prosecutors said Zhu and other co-conspirators manufactured, imported, sold, and distributed hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 test kits in the United States and China. They also manufactured and distributed test kits for HIV, pregnancy, clinical urinalysis, and other medical conditions.

Prosecutors accused Zhu and his co-conspirators of operating through the companies, Universal Meditech Incorporated (UMI) and Prestige Biotech Incorporated (PBI), which were based in Fresno and Reedley. The companies had no authorization to manufacture and distribute the test kits.

“When questioned by FDA officials, Zhu made false statements about his identity, his ownership and control of UMI and PBI, and the activities of UMI and PBI,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Zhu was indicted in November 2023, according to prosecutors. In August 2024, prosecutors said Zhu faced additional charges of conspiracy and wire fraud.