VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas (KETK) — Two Chinese nationals were arrested with $250,000 worth of gold bars after a traffic stop on I-20 on Thursday.
According to an affidavit, Sgt. Charlie Hughes, with the Wills Point Police Department, was working traffic enforcement along I-20. Hughes was near the 533 mile marker of westbound I-20 near when he observed a White Chevy Malibu with a Michigan registration comitting a traffic violation.
Hughes proceeded to conduct a traffic stop on the Chevy. The driver was identified as 25-year-old Chen Weijian. Due to a language barrier, Hughes asked Chen to go to his patrol vehicle and speak to him using a translator app.
During the interview, Hughes reportedly “observed multiple factors that lead [him] to believe there was criminal activity afoot.”
Chen reportedly told Hughes they had flown from Los Angeles, California to Atlanta, Georgia to “play” but had only remained in Atlanta for one day. Chen claimed he was heading to Dallas and also claimed he went to Florida to “play.”
The vehicle was rented in the passenger’s name, who was later identified as 46-year-old Lin Wenqiang, who gave consent to a search of the vehicle but “seemed unsure.” A K9 was used to conduct an open-air sniff of the vehicle where the dog “began working the front passenger door seam and gave an alert” to the vehicle.
Inside, officials found a boarding pass from Spirit Airlines that showed Chen had boarded the plane in Los Angeles on July 30 at 5:19 p.m. and arrived in Atlanta on July 31 at 12:53 a.m. The tickets reportedly showed he had no bags with him when he boarded the flight.
On a rental agreement, it reportedly showed that the vehicle was rented in College Park, Georgia at 1:28 a.m. on July 31 and was to be returned by Aug. 3 by 11:30 a.m. in Los Angeles.
A bag was located behind the driver’s seat on the floorboard where officials found multiple pieces of gold bullion bars estimated to value between $200,000 and $250,000:
- Seven 1 ounce packaged 999.9 gold bars
- Three 5 gram packaged 999.9 gold bars
- 1 gram marked with 20 squares 999.9 gold bar
- Eight 10 ounce packaged 999.9 gold bars
Chen and Lin allegedly claimed they did not know who the bag or gold belonged to. They were both placed under arrest and were transported to the Van Zandt County Jail for booking.
“Based on my training, I know that it is very unlikely that Lin or Chen could have transported the gold bullion through airport Transportation Security Administration security checkpoint with[out] filing a United States Currency Transaction Report,” Hughes said.
After being arrested, Hughes contacted U.S. Homeland Security who reviewed immigration records of Chen and Lin and learned both had entered the country illegally.
Lin reportedly entered the U.S. illegally on Sept. 15, 2023 in Tecate, California and was given a notice to appear. Lin had been released on an order of own recognizance and was set for further immigration processing in Los Angeles in September 2024.
Chen entered the U.S. illegally on Dec. 17, 2023 in Tecate, California and was given a notice to appear. He was released on an order of own recognizance and is pending immigration judicial action.
During an interview at the Van Zandt County Jail, Chen allegedly stated that the gold bars had been given to him by someone to transport to Dallas however he declined to give any further information.
Lin told officials he left China and traveled to Hong Kong, from there he flew to Turkey and then to Mexico. He then traveled through Mexico with other Chinese nationals in an attempt to enter into the U.S.
Hughes determined that Lin and Chen had been stopped in Georgia and spoke with Corporal Thompson with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Interdiction Unit. Thompson said he had stopped the duo on July 31 at 2:38 p.m. for a traffic violation.
Thompson’s narcotics dog alerted on the vehicle, leading to a search where he then became suspicious of the duo’s activities and began to track their movements. Once unable to track them further, Thompson contacted the rental company to gather information.
“At that time, the company told Corporal Thompson that two men who rented the vehicle had returned and exchanged it for a different vehicle. With the identification of that vehicle, Corporal Thompson was able to track Lin and Chen.
“He determined that they left the airport area and traveled North to Marietta, Georgia to an area known for cartel activity,” Hughes said.
From there, the duo reportedly traveled to Jacksonville, Florida where they stayed for about two hours before they went on I-10 westbound traveling north on I-49 to I-20.
Chen and Lin have been charged with money laundering from $150,00 to $300,000 and are being held on $100,000 bond at the Van Zandt County Jail.