Federal law enforcement has arrested eight defendants accused of conspiring to smuggle counterfeit goods worth hundreds of millions of dollars from China into the United States through the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced.
Nine defendants face charges of conspiracy, smuggling, and breaking customs seals in connection to this operation. Investigators claim that the group used a method of unloading contraband from containers flagged for off-site inspections and replacing the contents with filler cargo to evade detection.
The U.S. Attorney’s office reported that investigators have seized over $130 million worth of counterfeit goods and estimate that at least $200 million in contraband was smuggled into the country. A search of a warehouse linked to the group in June 2024 led to the seizure of $20 million worth of counterfeit items, including shoes, perfume, luxury handbags, apparel, and watches.
The nine individuals charged include:
Weijun Zheng, 57, of Diamond Bar (still at large)
Hexi Wang, 32, of El Monte
Jin “Mark” Liu, 42, of Irvine
Dong “Liam” Lin, 31, of Hacienda Heights
Marck Anthony Gomez, 49, of West Covina
Andy Estuardo Castillo Perez, 32, of Apple Valley
Jesse James Rosales, 41, of Apple Valley
Daniel Acosta Hoffman, 41, of Hacienda Heights
Galvin Biao Liufu, 33, of Ontario
Seven of the defendants were arrested on January 24, with one additional defendant taken into custody the evening of January 25. One defendant remains a fugitive.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
