Chinese nationals to be deported after release
Special to The Times Six Chinese nationals were sentenced in federal court to prison time and will be deported after their release in connection to one of the largest drug busts in Pierce County’s history.
Chen Hui Shu, 36, Jin Peng Ma, 35, Lecai Huang, Wei Sheng Deng, 41, Zhu Sheng Bing, 65, and Zhi Yong Ma, 54, were all sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood during proceedings in U.S. District Court last week.
Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, made the announcement last Thursday.
• Shu, of Hunan, China, and Deng, of Guangzhou, China, were sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
• Huang, of Taishan City, Guangdong, China, and Bing, of Taishan City, were each sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
• Jin Peng Ma, of Taishan City, Guangdong, China, was sentenced to 29 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
• Zhi Yong Ma, 54, of Taishan City, was sentenced to 29 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
There is no parole in the federal system. Upon completion of their prison terms, each defendant will be delivered to a duly authorized Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer for deportation proceedings.
Sheng Beng
Chen Hui
Jin Peng
Sheng Deng
“The successful takedown of this network sends a clear message that our law enforcement partners remain united and unwavering in the effort to identify, investigate, and dismantle organizations that threaten the safety of our neighborhoods,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “This operation highlights the power of collaboration at the federal, state, and local levels.”
“This case highlights how the actions of steadfast law enforcement officers led to the discovery and dismantling of a massive drug distribution operation in southern Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “Our exceptional partners in law enforcement have contributed greatly to their community by eliminating this large-scale, illegal marijuana growing factory.”
As described in court documents and testimony, after multiple reports of the smell of marijuana originating from a specific property in Pierce County, an investigation was launched in July 2023, which thereafter expanded to another property in Brantley County.
The marijuana growing operation had an estimated street value of $22.3 million.
Deputies from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and several state agencies served a search warrant at 6888 U.S. Highway 84 between Patterson and Offerman in February, 2024. The property is located between Cal-Maine Foods and Progress Rail.
Law enforcement said at the time the operation was “elaborate” with a “growing room” set up. The marijuana was being cultivated in four different growing rooms inside a structure on a tract of land at the location.
A similar bust occurred at HG LLC’s location on Plantation Circle, just off Georgia Highway 110 East, south of Atkinson and Waynesville.
During the course of the investigation, including extensive surveillance, a search of the properties revealed two large-scale indoor marijuana grows, complete with irrigation, grow lights, and multi-stage production facilities. In total, between the properties in Pierce and Brantley Counties, law enforcement seized approximately 15,000 marijuana plants.
The proceeds of this operation were traced internationally.
The properties located in Pierce and Brantley Counties were subsequently forfeited to the United States in March The Drug Enforcement Agency, Brantley County Sheriff’s Office, and Pierce County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation of these cases, which were prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia G. Rhodes, Tara M. Lyons, J. Bishop Ravenel and Darron J. Hubbard.
