A secret Chinese-owned bio lab in Reedley, California has been uncovered, bringing to light a potentially dangerous public safety risk. The lab contained thousands of vials of biological substances, including some labeled “HIV” and a freezer marked “Ebola.” These potentially deadly pathogens were found after code enforcement officer Jesalyn Harper noticed a suspicious green garden hose coming out of a hole in the side of a warehouse.
Harper’s discovery led to a 9-month investigation by the city, which was met with stonewalling from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the FBI. Despite their efforts, local officials were unable to get any help from federal agencies, with the FBI even closing the case due to a lack of evidence. Eventually, with the help of Rep. Jim Costa, the CDC showed up at the bio lab and identified at least 20 potentially infectious agents, including SARS-CoV-2, Chlamydia, and Hepatitis B and C.
However, even with the CDC’s involvement, concerns were raised over their initial refusal to test the samples and examine the unlabeled vials found in the lab. It wasn’t until a court order was obtained that the city contracted a hazardous waste firm to destroy the 140 tons of lab equipment and 440 gallons of medical and biological waste found on the property. During this process, a freezer labeled “Ebola” was discovered, raising alarms due to the disease’s high fatality rate.
The CDC was notified of this finding, but they claimed to have no recollection of seeing the Ebola label. The freezer and its contents were destroyed without being tested. Shockingly, there are no photographs of the freezer or its contents, despite the potential public health risk it posed.
BIG BREAKING: Thousands vials of biological substances including some labeled “HIV” and “Ebola” were found inside a Illegal Chinese-owned biolab in California.
FBI initially refused to investigate the case.
Chinese nationals worked at the lab.#XiJinping #whitehouse #Biden pic.twitter.com/1KZfSUdkl3
— Aditya Rathore (@imAdityaRathore) November 16, 2023
The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party launched its own investigation and found a complex connection between the biolab owner, Jiabei “Jesse” Zhu, and the Chinese Communist Party. Zhu had entered the US illegally after being involved in a multi-million dollar cattle-related intellectual property theft case in Canada.
Despite being in the US illegally, Zhu operated under the alias “David He” and started multiple biotech companies, including the Reedley Biolab. Evidence also suggested that Zhu and his associates were involved in the purchase and resale of counterfeit COVID-19 test kits from China. However, these schemes do not explain the presence of lethal pathogens found at the bio lab.
The House investigation concluded that with the exception of Ebola, the labeled vials of pathogens found at the lab were not indicative of a bioweapons program. However, the public health risks posed by the biolab are still unknown and potentially concerning. The report warns of the grave national security risks that unlicensed and unknown bio labs pose and calls for immediate action to address these vulnerabilities before it is too late.
The discovery of the illegal Chinese-owned bio lab in Reedley, California has raised serious concerns about potential public health risks and national security threats. The lack of cooperation from federal agencies and the mysterious destruction of vital evidence has left many questions unanswered. It is clear that more needs to be done to regulate and monitor biolabs in the US, especially those with potential ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
