LOS ANGELES
A San Gabriel Valley man has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging he is connected to the attempted exportation of more than 2,205 pounds of methamphetamine concealed inside shipment containers, officials stated.
The drugs were destined for Australia last year, the Justice Department announced Friday.
Jing Tang Li, 32, of El Monte, is charged with distribution of and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, exportation of controlled substances, and attempt and conspiracy to export controlled substances.
Li was arrested Thursday near a warehouse in South El Monte.
“Dangerous drugs such as methamphetamine devastate our community,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “We see the misery brought by highly addictive drugs on our streets every day. The massive amount of methamphetamine seized in this case shows how brazen drug traffickers have become and why it is imperative that we use our resources to hold these criminals responsible.”
According to an affidavit attached to the complaint, from February 2023 to December 2023, U.S. customs officers inspected seven shipments of different purported commodities destined for Australia. 
The purported commodities were falsely listed as carpets and textiles, furniture, wheel hub testing equipment, and a casting machine. The listed companies shipping the “products” were fake businesses.
Methamphetamine was embedded in the products.
In total, law enforcement seized more than 1,000 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in these containers, officials stated.
Law enforcement eventually traced Li to the shipments and arrested him Thursday while driving near a South El Monte warehouse where a robbery was reported during the early morning of August 8.
In that warehouse, law enforcement found shipping labels, scales, and a package containing methamphetamine.
If convicted, Li would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Li is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Homeland Security Investigations and United States Customs and Border Protection are investigating this matter.
Assistant U.S. Attorney J’me K. Forrest of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.