On August 1, a traffic stop on I-20 led to the detention of two Chinese nationals with $250,000 in gold bars.
According to an affidavit, Sgt. Charlie Hughes of the Wills Point Police Department was working traffic enforcement on I-20. Hughes was approaching the 533-mile marker on westbound I-20 when he noticed a white Chevy Malibu with a Michigan registration committing a traffic offense.
Hughes then conducted a traffic stop on the Chevrolet. We identified the driver as 25-year-old Chen Weijian. Due to a language problem, Hughes asked Chen to go to his patrol vehicle and communicate with him using a translator app.
During the conversation, Hughes reportedly “observed multiple factors that led [him] to believe there was criminal activity afoot.” Chen reportedly informed Hughes that they had gone from Los Angeles, California, to Atlanta, Georgia, to “play” but had only stayed for one day.
Chen stated that he was going to Dallas, and that he had gone to Florida to “play.”
We eventually identified the passenger as 46-year-old Lin Wenqiang, who consented to the search but “seemed unsure.” The police employed a K9 to conduct an open-air sniff of the vehicle, during which the dog “began working the front passenger door seam and gave an alert.”
Inside, officials discovered a Spirit Airlines boarding pass indicating Chen boarded the plane in Los Angeles at 5:19 p.m. on July 30 and arrived in Atlanta at 12:53 a.m. on July 31. According to the tickets, he did not bring any bags with him when he boarded the trip.
According to the rental agreement, the vehicle was hired in College Park, Georgia, at 1:28 a.m. on July 31 and was to be returned by August 3 at 11:30 a.m. in Los Angeles.
Officials discovered a sack below the driver’s seat on the floorboard containing various pieces of gold bullion bars valued between $200,000 and $250,000.
- Seven 1 ounce packaged 999.9 gold bars
- Three 5 gram packaged 999.9 gold bars
- 1 gram marked with 20 squares 999.9 gold bar
- Eight 10 ounce packaged 999.9 gold bars
Chen and Lin allegedly said they had no idea who the bag or gold belonged to. The Van Zandt County Jail booked both Chen and Lin after their arrest.
“Based on my training, I know that it is very unlikely that Lin or Chen could have transported the gold bullion through an airport Transportation Security Administration security checkpoint without filing a United States Currency Transaction Report,” according to Hughes.
Hughes informed US Homeland Security after his arrest, which looked into Chen and Lin’s immigration records and found they had both entered the country illegally.
On September 15, 2023, in Tecate, California, Lin reportedly entered the country illegally and received a notice to appear. They released Lin on his own recognizance and scheduled further immigration proceedings in Los Angeles for September 2024.
On December 17, 2023, in Tecate, California, Chen entered the United States illegally and received a notice to appear. Immigration court proceedings are currently awaiting his release on his own recognizance.
Chen allegedly stated during his interrogation at the Van Zandt County Jail that someone handed him the gold bars for transportation to Dallas, but he declined to provide any further details.
Lin told officials that he fled China and flew to Hong Kong before continuing on to Turkey and Mexico. He then proceeded across Mexico with other Chinese nationals in an attempt to enter the United States.
Hughes established that Corporal Thompson of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Interdiction Unit had stopped Lin and Chen in Georgia. Thompson stated that he stopped the two on July 31 at 2:38 p.m. for a traffic violation.
Thompson’s narcotics dog warned about the vehicle, prompting a search. He became suspicious of the duo’s activities and began tracking their whereabouts. When Thompson was unable to locate them further, he called the rental business for more information.
“At that time, the company informed Corporal Thompson that two men who had rented the vehicle had returned it and exchanged it for another vehicle.” After identifying their cars, Corporal Thompson was able to locate Lin and Chen. He discovered that they had departed the airport area and driven north to Marietta, Georgia, an area renowned for cartel activities,” Hughes added.
From there, the duo apparently traveled to Jacksonville, Florida, where they lingered for about two hours before continuing on I-10 westbound, then north on I-49 to I-20.
The Van Zandt County Jail is holding Chen and Lin on a $100,000 bond after charging them with money laundering ranging from $150,000 to $300,000.
