Federal authorities have charged six men in a massive marijuana trafficking conspiracy spanning Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, showing a rising pattern of Chinese-organized crime networks exploiting American drug laws. The case indictment reveals how international criminal enterprises continue to infiltrate domestic marijuana markets, despite evolving state legalization efforts.
Multi-State Investigation Nets Six Defendants
This Article Includes
- 1 Multi-State Investigation Nets Six Defendants
- 2 Rising Trend of Chinese-Organized Marijuana Trafficking
- 3 Prior Connections and Regional Patterns
- 4 Operation Take Back America Context
- 5 Multi-Agency Coordination
- 6 Regional Drug Trafficking Trends
- 7 Legal Implications and Penalties
- 8 Immigration Consequences
- 9 Background on Louisiana Cannabis Laws
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, a federal grand jury indicted five Chinese nationals and one US citizen on May 22, 2025, for conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kg of marijuana. The indictment, unsealed on June 4, charged Hanjie Wu, 25, Yilei Zhou, 35, and Zihang Zeng, 24, all of whom are from China, as well as Like Chen, 34, a naturalized US citizen from China, Wei Bin Chen, 34, a lawful permanent resident from China, and Aaron Steele, 45, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Three Chinese nationals were illegally present in the United States at the time of their alleged crimes. Wu and Steele face additional counts for interstate travel in aid of racketeering, including movements between Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi to facilitate the narcotics trafficking scheme, according to federal authorities.
Rising Trend of Chinese-Organized Marijuana Trafficking
This case represents a worrying pattern detected by federal law enforcement agencies. The DEA’s 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment focused on how Asian organized crime groups exploit states with modified cannabis laws. According to ProPublica’s investigative reporting, Chinese mobsters have developed a pattern of moving from state to state, gathering drugs and cash while overwhelming law enforcement with their resources and elusiveness.
Asian investors have supported unlicensed grows in California, Maine, Oklahoma, and Oregon, frequently operating industrial-scale indoor grows in residential houses, particularly in the western United States, according to the DEA assessment. These organizations frequently use violence to safeguard their growing sites, as most outdoor grow sites contain booby traps and guns.
Prior Connections and Regional Patterns
The Louisiana case followed similar prosecutions in the southeastern United States. In January 2024, a federal jury in Oklahoma convicted two Chinese nationals of a marijuana trafficking conspiracy involving approximately 28 tons of cannabis trafficked from an Oklahoma grow site. Furthermore, eight Chinese nationals were indicted in December 2024 for huge indoor marijuana cultivation operations in rural south Georgia.
Local local enforcement agencies have reported increased activity along Interstate routes. Aaron Steele was caught in April 2025 after a police chase in Picayune, Mississippi, when officers recovered 50 pounds of marijuana in his truck, according to WLOX. This arrest came before the federal indictments and highlights the continuous nature of trafficking along the Interstate 59 corridor.
Operation Take Back America Context
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, the Department of Justice’s broad attempt to battle cartels and transnational criminal organizations. According to federal officials, the task force “marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”
The initiative consolidates work of the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods. Recent operations under this program have produced major results, including the largest fentanyl bust in DEA history and a large-scale marijuana conspiracy case in Tallahassee, which led in 10-year prison sentences for many offenders.
Multi-Agency Coordination
The inquiry required substantial collaboration among federal, state, and local entities. The Drug Enforcement Administration spearheaded the investigation, with cooperation from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Forrest County Mississippi Sheriff’s Office, and the Picayune, Mississippi Police Department, according to court documents.
Regional Drug Trafficking Trends
Drug trafficking gangs have consistently targeted important transportation corridors in Louisiana and Mississippi. Recent data suggest that enforcement activities are uniform across the region. In December 2024, five California males were detained in Hattiesburg after more than 1,800 pounds of marijuana and $148,000 in cash were seized. Another large arrest occurred in January 2025, when Hattiesburg police uncovered 126 pounds of marijuana while conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 59.
St. Tammany Parish has emerged as a key location for narcotics interdiction efforts. Recent operations have targeted a variety of substances, including the seizure of over 16,000 Tapentadol pills between November 2024 and January 2025, as well as a June 2025 arrest for 362 grams of methamphetamine placed in a children’s toy.
Legal Implications and Penalties
The accused face heavy federal punishments, underscoring the gravity of large-scale narcotics trafficking. According to federal sentencing guidelines, the six men risk a minimum of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, fines of up to $5 million, at least four years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 assessment fee. Wu and Steele risk additional penalties for the interstate travel counts, including up to five years in jail, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
The prosecution will be handled by Assistant US Attorneys André Jones and Nolan D. Paige from the Narcotics Unit. According to the official statement, Acting US Attorney Michael M. Simpson highlighted that “the indictment is merely a charging document and that the defendants’ guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Immigration Consequences
The case focuses on the nexus of drug trafficking and immigration enforcement. Three Chinese nationals were illegally residing in the United States and might face deportation as well as criminal charges. This feature is consistent with Operation Take Back America’s overall focus on combating illegal immigration and multinational criminal networks.
Background on Louisiana Cannabis Laws
Louisiana has more restricted marijuana regulations than many other states. While the state has enacted new THC and CBD rules for 2025, recreational marijuana remains banned. The state has a limited medical marijuana program, but large-scale trafficking organizations like the one claimed in this case operate completely outside the legal structures.
The disparity between Louisiana’s tough rules and other states’ more lax policies may lead to trafficking tendencies. Criminal groups frequently take advantage of these legal discrepancies, transporting products from production facilities to marketplaces with higher pricing due to legal constraints.
Why This Story Matters Today: Although the indictments were revealed on June 4, 2025, news on this case is still significant since it demonstrates continued federal operations under Operation Take Back America as well as the persistent difficulty of global criminal groups in American drug markets. The case also demonstrates shifting patterns of international organized crime that continue to emerge as the legal cannabis market evolves among jurisdictions.