On March 3, authorities uncovered an illegal bio lab concealed in an apparently vacant building in Reedley, California, located in Fresno County. The discovery came about after city code enforcement personnel noticed a garden hose leading into the building through a hole in the wall in December 2022. In March, a warrant was obtained to inspect the property, and in April, the Fresno County Department of Public Health ordered an examination of the facility.
In July, investigators inspected the building housing the illegal bio lab and made startling discoveries. Among the findings were a room dedicated to producing COVID-19 tests and pregnancy tests. Additionally, they stumbled upon over 35 freezers and refrigeration units, which held “thousands of bodily fluids, serums, tissues, and other medical items.”
According to the Mid Valley Times:
According to a declaration from Humero Prado, Assistant Director of Fresno County Public Health, which was filed in superior court, investigators discovered that one room of the warehouse was used to produce COVID-19 and pregnancy tests. In other rooms, investigators found blood, tissue and other bodily fluid samples. They also found thousands of vials that contained unlabeled fluids.
Over 900 mice were located at the facility. Court documents identify Wang Zhaolin as the Prestige representative onsite during the investigation. Zhaolin informed the investigators that “these mice were genetically engineered to catch and carry the COVID-19 virus.” Court documents describe the conditions under which the mice were housed as “inhumane.”
From May 2 through May 4, the CDC’s Division of Select Agents and Toxins inspected 850 I Street. Court documents confirm the CDC found potentially infectious agents at the location. These included both bacterial and viral agents, including chlamydia, E. Coli, streptococcus pneumonia, hepatitis B and C, herpes 1 and 5 and rubella. The CDC also found samples of malaria.
That phone call launched an investigation that would eventually involve the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the FBI, the State Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), the State Department of Health, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and FCDPH, and would lead to the discovery of a lab that had been operating illegally in the city since October 2022. For FCDPH Director David Luchini and FCDPH Assistant Director Joe Prado, the amount of biological materials and chemicals – over 800 – found at the lab was a first.
The company believed to be operating the lab, Prestige BioTech, has its headquarters in Nevada and is the successor to Universal Meditech, Inc (UMI). In December 2022, the FDA issued a recall for over 56,000 “Skippack Medical Lab” Rapid Anti-Gen COVID-19 tests that were distributed by UMI to California and Texas.
David He, another representative of Prestige BioTech, avoided answering questions about the company’s accountability and ownership, as well as the proper disposal of hundreds of dead mice. The company did not confirm if the biologics found in the lab belonged to them.
Despite the building being considered vacant, Prestige BioTech managed to operate 35 freezers and refrigeration devices without drawing attention to the significant electrical consumption. City Manager Nicole Zieba mentioned that when investigators entered the building on July 5th, the power to the refrigerators and freezers had been lost, but the biological samples were still frozen.
According to court documents, a total of 75 containers filled with biological material and medical waste were removed from the location. On the first day, 48 containers, each approximately 44 gallons in volume, were taken away, followed by an additional 31 containers on the next day.
Per NBC News, it was revealed that the provided addresses for identified authorized agents were either empty offices or addresses in China that could not be verified.
