LAS VEGAS, NV- Looks like the Chinese may be at it again. FOX-5 in Las Vegas reports that authorities discovered a “biological lab” in a city neighborhood Saturday morning, spurring a federal investigation into a similar lab found in California in 2022.
The outlet reported that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI served an arrest warrant at a home near Washington Ave. and Hollywood Boulevard in the city. Sheriff Kevin McMahill said officers found a refrigerator “containing vials filled with unknown liquids.”
Property records show that a Chinese national was the home's current resident and was identified in the federal investigation into the operation of another lab in Reedley, California. Records confirmed that both homes are owned by the same limited liability corporation (LLC).
After the discovery in Las Vegas, the FBI executed a new search warrant at the California property, according to a FOX station in Fresno.
The suspect in the Vegas case, Ori Solomon, 55, was charged with disposing of and discharging hazardous waste. Officials said he is the property manager of the home on Sugar Springs and Temple View.
Metro police said three individuals were independently renting rooms in the home. All occupants were safely removed from the home, and none are currently subject to the investigation.
The lab was discovered by a code enforcement officer who found thousands of vials containing “biological substances” and mice. A congressional report from the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party said the vials were labeled as pathogens, including “HIV,” “tuberculosis,” “malaria,” “hepatitis,” and “Ebola.”
Investigators added that the mice were genetically modified to simulate human immune systems. Individuals assisting local law enforcement became ill after tending to the affected mice, the outlet reported.
The lab was located across from a residential area near a high school and a water supply, the report noted.
In 2023, a federal grand jury indicted both homeowners for manufacturing and distributing misbranded medical devices and for making false statements to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Additional fraud and conspiracy charges were added in 2024.
The U.S. Department of Justice said the charges stemmed from an investigation into the homeowner’s business, which operated from the same facility and fraudulently sold COVID-19 test kits. Investigators allege that fraud occurred between August 2020 and March 2023, and the couple made over $1.7 million from the scheme.
NewsNation reported that Las Vegas Metro’s all-hazard team is working with local HAZMAT teams, fire departments, the FBI, and local partners to ensure “proper recovery and mitigation of these items.”
McMahill called the situation “extremely complex” and noted it involves multiple agencies. He also said the incident appeared to be isolated and there was no threat to the public.
“This has to be a slow and methodical process by design,” McMahill said. “We have to take these situations very seriously, and we take all necessary precautions to keep our personnel and community safe.”
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