Two Chinese nationals have been charged in a federal drug trafficking case centered in Texas that prosecutors allege involved shipping synthetic drugs into the United States before the substances were soaked into sheets of paper and delivered to inmates in prisons across the country.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas announced this week that Lisa Xing, 36, and Zhanwen Song, 38, both Chinese citizens, were charged in a six-count superseding indictment with federal drug trafficking and money laundering violations.
The arrests were part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation with a significant North Texas connection. A Lewisville man was previously charged in the alleged conspiracy, and the investigation includes agents from several Dallas-based federal law enforcement offices.
Chinese authorities also arrested 19 alleged co-conspirators and seized hundreds of kilograms of synthetic cannabinoids, according to the Justice Department.
Prosecutors Trace Alleged Drug Supply to China
Federal prosecutors allege the conspiracy began in March 2023 and involved synthetic opioids, synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic stimulants, and other controlled substance analogues intended for correctional institutions.
According to the Justice Department, Lewisville resident Adell Willis, 43, allegedly purchased synthetic drugs from Xing and Song in China.
The substances were allegedly shipped to Willis’ residence in the Eastern District of Texas and to a Michigan residence belonging to Judy Ly, 30, of Grand Rapids.
Willis and Ly were initially indicted in May before prosecutors filed the superseding indictment adding Xing and Song to the case.
Authorities allege that after Willis and Ly received the drugs, they converted the substances into liquid and soaked sheets of paper in the mixture.
The saturated paper was then allegedly delivered to inmates at federal and state correctional institutions across the United States.
“The indictment alleges that a China-based supplier and a domestic distributor worked together to bring deadly synthetic drugs into the United States for distribution across the country,” U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs said in the September 9 announcement.
Chinese Authorities Arrest 21
The case also produced a substantial enforcement action inside China.
China’s Ministry of Public Security arrested Xing, Song, and 19 alleged co-conspirators, according to federal prosecutors.
Authorities also seized approximately 475 kilograms of synthetic cannabinoids and shut down four alleged illicit manufacturing sites in China.
The FBI-Ministry of Public Security counternarcotics working group, established in January 2026, helped facilitate the international investigation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
DEA Administrator Terry Cole said investigators followed the alleged drug supply chain to its source.
“This investigation led us to China,” Cole said.
Federal officials described the operation as a significant development in cooperation between the United States and China targeting international illicit chemical supply chains.
Dallas Homeland Security Task Force Involved
The investigation is being conducted as part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established under President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14159.
HSTF Dallas includes agents and officers from the FBI Dallas Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations Dallas, DEA Dallas Field Division, ATF Dallas Field Division, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, and several other agencies.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the defendants allegedly moved synthetic drugs from China into the United States and ultimately into American prisons.
“These two Chinese nationals allegedly trafficked dangerous, synthetic drugs from China into the United States and smuggled them into our prison systems for illicit gain,” Patel said in the DOJ release.
Drug-Soaked Mail Has Been Used Before
The allegations come months after another Texas investigation uncovered an alleged scheme involving synthetic drugs concealed in mail sent to prisoners.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, former Texas inmate Deidrick Capers was arrested in June after authorities accused him of mailing synthetic cannabinoids disguised as legal correspondence to incarcerated people in Texas, other states, and federal correctional institutions.
That investigation is separate from the case involving Xing, Song, Willis, and Ly, and authorities have not alleged a connection between them.
The cases, however, illustrate how synthetic drugs can allegedly be concealed in seemingly ordinary paper to circumvent correctional security measures.
Four Defendants Face Federal Charges
Xing, Song, Willis, and Ly are now 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 they would be unlawfully imported into the United States; and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Willis also faces a charge of possession of synthetic drugs with intent to distribute, according to the latest federal announcement. If convicted, each defendant faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lucas Machicek and Dustin Farahnak are prosecuting the case.
A federal indictment is an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Provided by Dallas Express
