Federal prosecutors on Monday charged a man living in California with several drug-related crimes, alleging he was a key figure in an international drug smuggling ring that sent methamphetamine to New Zealand via several routes in the United States, including through Alaska.
In court documents, prosecutors say they arrested Zukai He after a monthslong investigation that began with a tip from a virtual-mailbox company in Wasilla.
Virtual mailboxes are like Post Office boxes in that they collect mail for a client and can forward it to a different address. The documents did not identify the company.
According to an affidavit filed by an agent of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the owner of the Wasilla business contacted the USPIS, concerned that one of their customers was being impersonated.
After an initial investigation, in January 2024 inspectors obtained a warrant and searched two packages that had arrived in Wasilla from California and were bound for New Zealand. The search uncovered “close to three kilograms of methamphetamine” (more than 6 pounds) concealed within two devices — some inside a heat transfer stamping machine, and some inside a 3D printer.
In the affidavit, the inspector said that amount of meth was worth more than $1 million on the black market.
Further investigation uncovered more meth-laden packages in Arizona and Oregon, also bound for New Zealand.
Postal inspectors traced those packages to a store in California, then to He’s home in the city of Alhambra in Los Angeles County, where they searched the trash and discovered a small black bag that tested positive for meth.
Law enforcement obtained a warrant and raided the home, finding — among other things — more than 13 pounds of meth, worth several million dollars.
According to court records, federal officers arrested Zukai He on Tuesday and detained him in Tacoma, Washington. He is charged with one felony count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, and if convicted faces up to 40 years of jail time.
Prosecutors say He is a citizen of China and in the United States illegally.
Additional proceedings in the case have not yet been scheduled.