Staff Reports
Local officials were left in shock after discovering a secret lab filled with bioengineered mice, infectious agents, and a plethora of chemicals in a warehouse. This “black-market type of lab testing facility” contained over 1,000 bioengineered mice, with almost 200 of them already dead. The inventory also included incubators, refrigerators, freezers, and more than 800 types of chemicals. One local official exclaimed, “I’ve been in government for 25 years. I’ve never seen anything like this!”
'I've Never Seen Anything Like This': Here’s What Authorities Found in an Illegal Chinese Biolab in CA https://t.co/pVgWokjSlh
— Signal Squid (@SignalSquid) August 2, 2023
The Assistant Director of the Fresno County Department of Public Health, Joe Prado, shared the sentiment, stating, “I’ve never seen this in my 26-year career with the County of Fresno.” It was a scene straight out of a horror movie as officials found thousands of vials containing various biohazardous materials, including potentially infectious viruses, bacteria, and parasites such as E. Coli, malaria, sexually transmitted diseases, and even COVID.
The court documents revealed that certain rooms in the warehouse held vessels of unknown liquids and mysterious apparatus. Fresno County Public Health staff also stumbled upon blood, tissue, bodily fluid samples, and numerous vials of unlabeled fluids and suspected biological material. The tenant of the warehouse was identified as Prestige BioTech, a Nevada-based company that was unlicensed to conduct business in California.
Even more suspicious was the revelation that Prestige BioTech had moved assets from a defunct company, Universal Meditech Inc., to the warehouse. City officials communicated with Xiuquin Yao, the president of Prestige BioTech, who claimed that their company was the successor to Universal Meditech Inc. However, officials were unable to track down any Californian addresses for either company, except for the previous location in Fresno where UMI had been evicted.
Prestige BioTech is now facing accusations of failing to follow orders and provide a plan for disposing of the hazardous materials. Fortunately, officials have removed and disposed of all the dangerous substances in the warehouse, and federal partners are actively investigating the situation. This shocking discovery raises concerns about the presence of similar illicit operations throughout the country. With the safety and security of our communities at stake, it is imperative that we remain vigilant in uncovering and shutting down these underground laboratories.
