Six people have been arrested, including two charged with murder, in connection with an illegal cannabis business that killed five people, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
The business focused on cannabis extraction, and its owners operated a warehouse in Irwindale that exploded in 2023 and a fire at a lab in South El Monte in 2024, Hochman said in a news release.
Yi Luo, 47, of Baldwin Park; Xin Chen, 59 of Rosemead; Guangqi Fu, 35, of Chino; and Quizhuo Liang, 35, of Monterey Park, worked in the warehouse in the 1400 block of Arrow Highway when it exploded on Oct. 9, 2023, killing all four.
That warehouse was being used for honey oil extraction, Hochman said.
Bordin “Tony” Sikarin, 57, of Buena Park, was killed in the Nov. 18, 2024, fire at the South El Monte lab.
“This case shows the deadly and disastrous results when illegal cannabis operations recklessly put greed over the safety of their employees and neighbors,” Hochman said. “Cannabis may be legal in California, but this kind of high-risk, illegal activity is not. These drug trafficking organizations have no place in our communities and my office will continue to work with law enforcement at the local, state and federal levels to hold those accountable who engage in this illicit trade.”
As a result of an investigation into the business, Ted Chien, 43, of Temple City, faces five murder charges and a special allegation of multiple murders.
“He also faces two felony counts of arson causing great bodily injury, eight felony counts of manufacturing a controlled substance and three felony counts of maintaining a place for selling or using a controlled substance,” Hochman’s office said.
Co-defendant Han Quan Jiao, 55, of Rosemead, was also charged with one count each of murder and arson causing great bodily injury, eight counts of manufacturing a controlled substance and three counts of maintaining a place for selling or using a controlled substance.
Chien faces a maximum sentence of death or life in prison without parole, while Jiao could be sentenced to life in prison.
Despite the five deaths, Jiao and Chien continued their business until officials raided nine L.A. County locations earlier this week, including “a large-scale lab in La Verne that abuts the San Gabriel Mountains,” officials said.
Four others were also charged with the following counts:
- Xiaolong Deng, 36
- One count each of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance
- One count of manufacturing, compounding or producing a controlled substance
- Chengyan Xu, 61
- One count each of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance
- Two counts of manufacturing, compounding or producing a controlled substance
- Christopher Reyes, 30
- One count each of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance
- One count of manufacturing, compounding or producing a controlled substance
- Frank Herrera, 35
- One count each of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance
- One count of manufacturing, compounding or producing a controlled substance
Xu faces a maximum sentence of up to eight years and eight months in prison, while the other three face maximum sentences of seven years.