Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced charges against six people on Friday stemming from an illegal cannabis extraction business where four people were killed in a fiery explosion at a warehouse in Irwindale in 2023, and another man died at a South El Monte facility last year.
The charges are part of an ongoing multi-agency investigation dubbed “Operation Sugar Diamond”.
“This case shows the deadly and disastrous results when illegal cannabis operations recklessly put greed over the safety of their employees and neighbors,” said Hochman.
Authorities allege that Ted Chien, 53, of Temple City, and Han Quan Jiao, 55, of Rosemead, were co-partners in the two labs that exploded. The two allegedly continued to run illegal labs even after the deadly explosions.
Each is charged with murder, arson, manufacturing a controlled substance, and maintaining a place for selling a controlled substance.
If convicted, Chien faces a possible maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or death. If convicted, Jiao faces up to life in prison.
Also charged were Xiaolong Deng, 36, Chengyan Xu, 61 and Christopher Reyes, 30, and Frank Herrera, 35. The four men each face one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance.
The first massive blast occurred on Oct. 9, 2023, at a warehouse in the 1400 block of Arrow Highway in Irwindale, killing Yi Luo, 47, of Baldwin Park; Xin Chen, 59 of Rosemead; Guangqi Fu, 35, of Chino; and Quizhuo Liang, 35, of Monterey Park.
All four worked at the warehouse allegedly used for honey oil extraction by Chien and Jiao.
The second fire erupted on Nov. 18, 2024, at a laboratory in South El Monte that the two defendants allegedly ran. Bordin “Tony” Sikarin, 57, of Buena Park, who was also an employee, was killed.
Over 150 law enforcement agents served search warrants at nine locations in Los Angeles County last week, including a large-scale lab in La Verne that abuts the San Gabriel Mountains.
The case remains under investigation by the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force (LA Impact) and the U.S. Postal Service.
“Cannabis may be legal in California, but this kind of high-risk, illegal activity is not. These drug trafficking organizations have no place in our communities and my office will continue to work with law enforcement at the local, state and federal levels to hold those accountable who engage in this illicit trade,” said Hochman.
