Chapter 49: Aftermath of the Drug Trafficking Case (Please Keep Reading)

Early that morning, Ao Xi walked into the police station holding his lower back, groaning with every step. Even just those few steps to the door left him exhausted. He paused at the entrance to catch his breath when he heard similar groans behind him.

Turning around, he saw Mark. Instantly, Ao Xi’s spirits lifted, his back miraculously straightened, and he put on a half-amused, half-mocking smile. “Well, look who it is. So young, yet already groaning like an old man. Have you already fallen apart?”

Mark rolled his eyes so hard they nearly disappeared into his head, forcing himself upright. “Drop the act. I’ve been here for a while, resting in the car. I saw you shuffling in, clutching your waist.”

Ao Xi’s bravado deflated instantly—when two crooks meet, neither has room to laugh at the other.

“What happened to you?” Ao Xi asked.

Mark sighed. “It’s the DA’s fault. I was at the Austin Community bust, on the team right across from yours. I thought with administrative leave, I’d have at least ten days off. So I told Jessica we could vacation in Miami. She was thrilled and immediately put in for leave. Her vacation got approved, and I got called back to work.”

The two shared a long, suffering sigh—what a cruel twist of fate.

Just as they were about to head inside, they saw Wally shuffling over as well, hand pressed to his back, groaning with every step.

Immediately, Ao Xi and Mark straightened up, faces settling into that same half-amused, half-mocking look. “Well, look who it is. So young, yet already groaning like an old man. Have you already fallen apart?”

Wally didn’t even glance at them. “I’m planning for a third child. Gotta put in some effort at night.”

The two exchanged a look, then turned away—best not to mess with that.

When they entered the station, Susan, the front desk matron, told them to change into their uniforms and head to the main conference room; there would be an operation today.

Ao Xi suddenly felt much better, hurried to the locker room to change, and made his way to the conference room. The place was already half full—definitely a major operation.

He and his companions found seats and waited for the meeting to begin.

Before long, Deputy Chief Robin entered, accompanied by Cole Simmons of the Asian Gang Unit, Jason Villa from the Marijuana Task Force, and several sergeants.

After a round of perfunctory greetings, Cole Simmons began, “Good morning, gentlemen. I’m Cole Simmons from the Asian Gang Unit. As you all know, not long ago within the Temple City Police’s jurisdiction, we apprehended a drug dealer affiliated with the ‘Asian Boyz’ gang—Christian Chen.

We suspected he was part of a larger organization. After coordination from above, we’re conducting this joint operation. The Gang Unit and the Marijuana Task Force will be responsible for surveillance, support, and intelligence analysis, while Temple City Police will handle the main arrests. Together, we’ll strike this drug trafficking ring.

We surveilled Christian Chen’s residence and movements, checked his online and telecom records, and inspected every package he sent. We confirmed large-scale marijuana trafficking, and, after painstaking work, identified the organization behind him.

Now, I’ll turn it over to Task Force Leader Jason Villa to elaborate.”

“Hello, everyone. I’m Jason Villa. Christian Chen and his associates are a Los Angeles branch of the Asian Boyz, specializing in drug trafficking. Their division of labor is clear—I’ll break it down for you.

First, Christian Chen, whom we already know, is responsible for finding buyers online and shipping out marijuana.

His supplier is Kai Chen, fifty-one, a Chinese male. We discovered that Kai frequently drives a Mercedes van to Christian’s residence. Our team got close to the van and detected a strong odor of marijuana—confirming it’s a transport vehicle. Kai also collects the cash proceeds from Christian’s sales.

By tracking Kai’s vehicle, we found he often visits a residence in El Monte, owned by Zhen Da Ho, a thirty-three-year-old Chinese man. Further investigation showed he regularly deposits large sums of cash and makes varied wire transfers—we believe he’s the ringleader.

Investigating the recipients of these transfers, we identified several small indoor grow operations scattered across San Gabriel, Rosemead, and Rowland Heights. Community police, responding to neighbor complaints, confirmed seven growers, all Chinese, male and female, aged forty to sixty. Based on their water and electricity bills, we estimate about a thousand marijuana plants.

The scale wasn’t as large as we expected, so we continued analyzing the recipients and found extensive dealings with illegal grow sites in Antelope Valley. This led us to several armed couriers: Shi Hu Mo, Xiu Zhao Liao, and Wei Xing Zhou, among others.

We also discovered ties to chain vending machine companies and laundromats—clear money laundering channels. Zhen Da Ho frequently gambles in Las Vegas, which we believe is another laundering route, and there are connections to underground Chinese banking networks. The financial team will take over that part.

Today’s mission is to simultaneously arrest Christian Chen, Kai Chen, Zhen Da Ho, and destroy all identified indoor grow sites. The large-scale operation in Antelope Valley will be handled later, after interrogations and once we have solid evidence, at which point we’ll request a countywide task force.

Now, Deputy Chief Robin will assign today’s tasks.”

Robin stepped forward. “Today, we’re arresting a series of drug traffickers who may be armed and extremely dangerous. Safety is paramount. Here are the assignments: Calles, your team will apprehend Christian Chen.

Colis, your team will take Zhen Da Ho.

Green, Willy, Anderson—bring your teams and raid the grow sites.

Kai Chen, the transporter, is currently on the freeway; central command will handle his arrest.

Don’t worry about anything else—we have backup from central command. If things get out of hand, the Special Enforcement Bureau’s Special Weapons Team (SWT) will deploy. The Air Support Division will provide aerial coverage with an AS350B2 'AStar' helicopter on standby—and a second, if needed.

Everyone, give it your all. Is that clear?”

“Clear!”

“Move out!”

“Yes, sir!”

Ao Xi sidled up to Calles. “Why aren’t we the ones going after the boss?”

“We can’t hog all the good assignments, can we? Get to work.”

Ao Xi didn’t really care who they were arresting. He just thought the ringleader would probably put up the fiercest resistance. On second thought, if the boss died in a shootout, they’d lose all leads. If a low-level guy died, it was less of a loss. Maybe arresting the small fry wasn’t so bad after all.

They returned to check their gear, quickly requisitioned any missing items, and made ready. Dozens of squad cars rolled out of the station in a long procession—the sheer spectacle was enough to get the blood pumping, let alone being part of it.

Ao Xi followed the convoy to Christian Chen’s house, a Vietnamese man, and contacted the surveillance team nearby.

“Christian Chen is currently inside the house,” the surveillance officer reported over the radio. “But I don’t recommend storming in. We have no idea what kind of defensive weapons he might have in there. If there’s a shotgun or a rifle, it could be very dangerous.”