Yes, a secret biolab was discovered in California

VERIFY reader Craig asked us to look into reports of a secret Chinese biolab allegedly discovered in California.

Some of those reports say the lab contained vials labeled with the names of dangerous pathogens like HIV and Ebola, raising questions about whether the lab might be making bioweapons.

So is there such a lab, who owned it, and what was found there? Here’s what we can VERIFY.

THE QUESTION

Was a secret biolab discovered in California?

THE SOURCES

• U.S. Department of Justice
• U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party
• Court records, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
• Court records, Superior Court of California in Fresno County
• CDC

THE ANSWER

Yes, a secret biolab was discovered in California.

Investigators have charged a Chinese citizen with selling unauthorized COVID-19 test kits and lying to the FDA. But they say the lab was not used for making bioweapons, and its connections to the Chinese government are unclear.

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WHAT WE FOUND

In December 2022, a local code enforcement officer in Reedley, Calif. – a small city outside of Fresno – noticed code violations at a warehouse in town that was previously believed to be vacant, according to court records. 

She searched the facility, finding evidence it was secretly operating as an unlicensed biolab, court records said. The officer reported finding freezers, thousands of vials of fluids, and hundreds of lab mice in squalid conditions.

Over the next several months, numerous agencies conducted investigations into the lab, including the City of Reedley, Fresno County Public Health, the California Department of Public Health, the FDA, the FBI, and CDC.

The investigations led to court orders to vacate the warehouse, euthanize the mice, and destroy the potential pathogens and medical waste found – orders which were carried out by local officials.

Investigators say that the lab was owned by Jia Bei Zhu, a Chinese citizen with several aliases.

On Oct. 18, 2023, federal prosecutors in California charged Zhu with manufacturing and selling millions of dollars of unauthorized test kits for COVID-19, and for lying to agents during the investigations.

The charging documents did not accuse Zhu of being an agent of the Chinese government, or of using the biolab to manufacture bioweapons.

“Despite media reports that [Zhu’s companies] may have been manufacturing bioweapons, no evidence supporting those reports has been found to date,” an FDA agent wrote in his affidavit. “Any and all pathogens and toxins that have been found during the government’s investigation appear to be related to the manufacture and distribution of various… test kits.”

In September of 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives launched its own investigation into the matter via the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Its findings were released in a report on Nov. 15, 2023.

The report found that Zhu previously worked for companies partially owned by the Chinese government.

It also criticized the CDC for not testing the potential pathogens found in the lab.

In a statement to VERIFY, a CDC spokesperson said: “CDC strongly disputes the report’s conclusions critical of the agency. The report includes numerous inaccuracies, including both the charge that CDC did not respond to local requests for aid and the false implication that CDC had the authority to unilaterally investigate or seize samples from [the lab].  Indeed, CDC has, and continues to be actively engaged, within its regulatory authorities, in the intergovernmental efforts to address issues surrounding the facility.”