By Trend News Line 2024-05-24 22:41:29.
**University of Florida Research Employee and Students Implicated in Multimillion-Dollar Drug Smuggling Scheme**
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In a shocking turn of events, a University of Florida research employee and students have been implicated in an illegal multimillion-dollar scheme investigated by the Justice Department to ship drugs and toxins to China, according to federal court records. The records stated that the plot involved fraudulently buying thousands of biochemical samples of dangerous drugs and toxins that were delivered to a campus lab and illicitly shipped to China over the course of seven years.
**Identity of Implicated Individuals Revealed**
While the court records do not name the UF employee or students involved in the scheme, Fresh Take has identified one student tied to the scandal as the president of UF’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association — Nongnong “Leticia” Zheng. Zheng confirmed in an interview that she had been notified by a federal prosecutor last year that she was the target of a grand jury investigation and that the Justice Department was preparing to seek criminal charges against her. She has since been assigned a federal public defender, Ryan Maguire of Tampa.
**Illegal Export of Dangerous Substances**
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The materials smuggled to China as part of the scheme included purified, noncontagious proteins of the cholera toxin and pertussis toxin, as well as analytical samples of highly purified drugs such as fentanyl, morphine, MDMA, cocaine, ketamine, codeine, and methamphetamine. These samples, which are intended for scientific or medical purposes and cannot legally be exported to China, were part of the illicit operation orchestrated by the group.
**Involvement of UF Employee and Students**
Prosecutors described one student involved in the scheme as a Chinese citizen majoring in marketing who falsely represented herself as a biomedical engineering student to purchase items without raising suspicions. The organizers of the scheme paid other students to use their UF email addresses to order substances, and they also used email addresses of two UF researchers who had left the university by 2015. The UF employee involved in the scheme worked in the stockroom of a research lab, according to prosecutors.
**Cooperation with the Justice Department**
The University of Florida released a statement confirming that they have been cooperating with the Justice Department in the investigation. However, they declined to provide details on whether anyone has been fired or expelled from the university as a result of the scheme. The scheme, which ran from July 2016 to May 2023, involved several individuals who have since been identified and charged.
**Plea Deals and Sentencing**
The man identified as the ringleader of the operation, Pen “Ben” Yu, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Another individual involved, Gregory Muñoz, a sales executive for Massachusetts-based Sigma-Aldrich, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was set to be sentenced. A third individual, Jonathan Rok Thyng, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit a federal crime and faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
**Conclusion**
The illegal drug smuggling scheme involving the University of Florida has shocked the community and raised concerns about the oversight of research activities on campus. As the investigation continues, more details are expected to emerge about the extent of the operation and the individuals involved. Stay tuned for further updates as the case unfolds..
1. Long-tailed keyword: UF staffer students implicated illegal Chinese exports scheme
2. Long-tailed keyword: UF staffer students implicated Chinese exports scheme illegal.
