Two Chinese Nationals Indicted in Synthetic-Drug Trafficking Case Alleging Drugs Were Smuggled Into U.S. Prisons
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two Chinese nationals have been indicted on federal drug-trafficking and money-laundering charges in an investigation alleging that synthetic drugs were shipped from China into the United States and ultimately delivered to inmates in federal and state correctional institutions across the country. The case was announced Wednesday, September 9, 2026, by U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs for the Eastern District of Texas and is being investigated through the federal Homeland Security Task Force.
The defendants are Lisa Xing, 36, and Zhanwen Song, 38, both Chinese citizens. A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas charged them in a six-count superseding indictment involving alleged drug trafficking and money laundering. Federal prosecutors said the case concerns synthetic opioids, synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic stimulants and other controlled-substance analogues.
Two other defendants had already been indicted in the same investigation. Adell Willis, 43, of Lewisville, Texas, and Judy Ly, 30, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, were indicted in May. Prosecutors allege that the four defendants participated in the same conspiracy.
All four are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to possess contraband in prison, conspiracy to manufacture and distribute controlled substances knowing that the substances would be unlawfully imported into the United States, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Willis also faces a separate charge of possession of synthetic drugs with intent to distribute.
According to the indictment, the alleged conspiracy began in March 2023. Prosecutors allege that Willis purchased synthetic drugs from Xing and Song in China and arranged to have the substances shipped to Willis’s residence in the Eastern District of Texas and to Ly’s residence in Michigan. The indictment alleges that the drugs were then processed in the United States for introduction into correctional institutions.
The alleged method of getting the drugs into prisons is a significant part of the federal case. Prosecutors say Willis and Ly converted the synthetic substances into liquid and used the mixture to saturate sheets of paper. According to the indictment, the drug-soaked paper was subsequently delivered to inmates at various federal and state correctional institutions around the United States.
The charges therefore concern an alleged supply chain extending from drug suppliers in China to distributors in the United States and ultimately into American prisons. U.S. Attorney Combs said the indictment alleges that a supplier based in China worked with a domestic distributor to bring synthetic drugs into the United States for distribution around the country.
The investigation also resulted in enforcement action inside China. China’s Ministry of Public Security arrested Xing and Song along with 19 alleged co-conspirators, according to the Justice Department. Chinese authorities also seized 475 kilograms of synthetic cannabinoids and shut down four alleged illicit manufacturing sites in China.
Federal officials credited cooperation between American and Chinese law-enforcement authorities with producing those results. The FBI-Ministry of Public Security counternarcotics working group was established in January 2026 and facilitated the joint effort against the alleged transnational network. The Justice Department described the arrests and seizures as a significant development in U.S.-China counternarcotics cooperation concerning the international illicit chemical supply chain.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the case involved allegations that the two Chinese nationals trafficked dangerous synthetic drugs from China into the United States and that the drugs were smuggled into American prison systems for financial gain. Patel credited the FBI’s Dallas Field Office and other federal law-enforcement agencies participating in the Homeland Security Task Force investigation.
Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole said the investigation followed the synthetic-drug supply chain back to China. He said cooperation from Chinese law enforcement resulted in the two Chinese nationals being taken into custody and emphasized the DEA’s role in investigating synthetic drugs and chemical supply networks.
The Dallas Homeland Security Task Force involved a large group of federal agencies. According to the Justice Department, participating organizations include the FBI Dallas Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations-Dallas, DEA Dallas Field Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Dallas Field Division, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Federal Air Marshal Service, U.S. Secret Service, State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, TEXOMA High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program and the U.S. Marshals Service for the Eastern District of Texas.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lucas Machicek and Dustin Farahnak are leading the federal prosecution in the Eastern District of Texas. The case is being handled as part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established under Executive Order 14159. The Justice Department describes the task-force structure as an interagency program for investigations involving transnational criminal organizations, cartels, foreign gangs, human trafficking and related crimes operating in the United States and abroad.
The potential criminal penalties are substantial. The Justice Department said that, if convicted, the defendants each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The eventual penalties would depend on convictions, the offenses established in court and federal sentencing requirements.
The September 9 announcement represents both a domestic criminal prosecution and an international law-enforcement operation. The federal indictment alleges that the supply operation began overseas, that synthetic drugs were transported into the United States, that domestic participants processed the substances, and that drug-infused paper was then delivered to inmates in correctional facilities across the country. Chinese authorities’ arrests of 21 people, seizure of 475 kilograms of synthetic cannabinoids and closure of four manufacturing sites represent the overseas enforcement component reported by the Justice Department.
The allegations have not been proven at trial. A federal indictment is a formal accusation and is not evidence of guilt. Xing, Song, Willis and Ly are presumed innocent unless and until the government proves their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
