Every morning, local resident Raul Contreras rides his mountain bike along the quiet streets of the northeast Las Vegas neighborhood in Nevada, passing by homes with gray stucco walls and neatly manicured lawns, showcasing the area’s high quality of life.
To him, this area is a hidden gem, away from urban crime and congestion. Families live peacefully here, children can play and go to school safely, and neighbors look out for each other.
Unbeknownst to him, one of the houses in the neighborhood hides a secret that may pose a threat to public health.
On January 31st, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and the SWAT team raided a house at 979 Sugar Springs Drive. Contreras rides past this house every day on his bike.
In the garage of the house, authorities found what appeared to be a biological lab, containing a freezer, several refrigerators, a centrifuge, and other specialized equipment, along with over 1,000 test tubes and gallon containers filled with red and brown unknown liquids.
Contreras, who lives a couple of blocks away, said to Epoch Times, “It’s a bit scary. People have no idea what substances might be inside.”
“Now people know that such terrifying things can happen in any community – even the quietest ones,” he added.
The discovery has left local residents feeling uneasy and suspicious. Some question how a suspected biological lab could have existed undetected for three years in an active crime watch community. What could be the reason?
A crime watch community is where residents work with law enforcement to reduce crime through enhanced surveillance, reporting, and in some cases, the use of technology.
“I think they shouldn’t have let this continue,” resident Kathy, walking her dog near the now-empty house, said. “It’s too scary. It’s so easy to slip under the radar here.”
Cody Human, who runs a tree trimming service in Las Vegas, disclosed to reporters that he and his employees had initially planned to do tree trimming work next door on the day of the raid.
However, upon arrival, they found the entire property swarmed with police and personnel in protective gear.
“If I lived in this community, I would definitely be scared,” Human told Epoch Times on February 3.
“Anything like this is scary, especially for a community like this with many children and families,” he stated.
“I mean, the community is known for being family-friendly. There are a few churches here; it’s one of the better neighborhoods. The community is very clean and very quiet.”
Meanwhile, a task force composed of local, state, and federal investigators is working to determine the materials seized from the suspected biological lab and their purposes.
“We realize that the public wants clear information,” said Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill on February 2. “What are they testing? What possibilities are being considered?”
FBI scientists and a specialized evidence team entered the garage to examine the items inside the refrigerators and freezers.
McMahill mentioned that some items appeared to have been used for storing biological and chemical materials.
This joint investigation involves multiple agencies and employs a layered use of technology, including drones and robotic dogs from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police to assess the environmental conditions of the residence, reducing the risk of exposure to potential pathogens.
Investigators have collected over 1,000 pieces of evidence, currently stored temporarily at the Southern Nevada Health District building.
According to FBI Las Vegas office special agent Christopher Delzotto, the materials were flown by plane on February 2 to the National Bioforensic Analysis Center in Maryland.
McMahill revealed that the house on Sugar Springs Drive belongs to David Destiny Discovery LLC, with David He listed as the registered agent, who is linked to an illegal biological lab shut down by authorities in Reedley, California in 2023.
Epoch Times previously reported that David He is an alias for Chinese citizen Jia Bei Zhu.
Investigators discovered potentially infectious substances in the Reedley lab, including hepatitis, COVID-19, HIV, malaria, and other dangerous pathogens.
He has been named as a suspect in the Las Vegas case and is currently detained by federal authorities on charges related to the 2023 investigation.
The second suspect, 55-year-old Ori Salomon, a non-immigrant foreign national, was also arrested in the Las Vegas investigation. Salomon manages a residential property on Sugar Springs Drive and a property on Temple View Drive.
Salomon is being held on charges of disposing and discharging hazardous materials at the Clark County Detention Center and was released on a $3,000 bond. He also faces a federal felony charge for unlawfully possessing firearms as a prohibited person.
Salomon’s next court appearance is scheduled for March 4, 2026.
Given the investigation of the illegal biological lab in Reedley, California, concerns are high about the situation local authorities may encounter on Sugar Springs Drive in Las Vegas.
“Because it’s unclear whether the substances from Reedley could be present in residential areas in Las Vegas, the potential requires us to be extremely cautious when taking action,” said McMahill.
On January 31, the FBI also executed a search warrant at a property on Temple View Drive, where several individuals reside, but no illegal biological materials were found.
When authorities entered the property on Sugar Springs Drive, they found three individuals living in separate rooms they were renting. McMahill stated that these three individuals are not related to the ongoing investigation.
County government documents obtained by Epoch Times show that David Destiny Discovery LLC purchased the property on Sugar Springs Drive in October 2022 from Wang Zhaoyan, who is associated with the companies involved in the Reedley case.
McMahill mentioned that investigators received a tip a week ago indicating a possible biological lab inside the house, leading authorities to launch the investigation.
He stated that the investigation process is highly complex. Investigators are proceeding cautiously to gather more information.
“This is a chilling moment,” McMahill said. “I will not take it lightly. There are still some unknowns in this investigation. We are working diligently to be transparent with all known information.”
“What are these people doing?” he questioned. “Honestly, we don’t know for sure yet.”
Delzotto told reporters on February 2, “This involves very serious charges.”
“We don’t know what these materials are. We will have them analyzed by experts in the field, and that will take some time before we can report the findings,” he added.
In November 2023, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party published a report titled “Investigation into the Reedley Biolab: Findings, 11/15/2023,” which found thousands of disease samples at the Reedley lab, some labeled correctly, some incorrectly, and some coded.
This included 1,000 specially bred mice with genetically modified immune systems engineered to function like the human immune system.
Lab staff stated that these mice were specifically designed to “capture and carry the COVID-19 virus.”
The report summary noted, “When local officials discovered the lab, they sought help from the CDC and other agencies, but the CDC refused to test any samples.”
Following the Reedley incident, federal congressmen Kevin Kiley (Republican/California), Jim Costa (Democrat/California), and David Valadao (Republican/California) introduced the “Preventing Illegal Laboratories and Protecting Public Health Act of 2025.”
This bipartisan legislation aims to enhance federal oversight of highly pathogenic organisms and high-level biosafety laboratories, safeguarding the American public from public health and national security threats.
With the discovery of the biological lab on Sugar Springs Drive in Las Vegas and its possible connection to Reedley, Kiley issued a statement on February 2, urging Congress to advance the legislative process of the bill.
“We can’t allow such things to happen anymore,” Kiley said. “The federal government must take more steps to prevent illegal drug labs from operating in our communities.”
Concerns have arisen among some local residents in the Sugar Springs Drive area, especially as the biological lab is located near a local elementary school, a middle school, and the public water system and pumping stations.
“We had no idea all along,” a mother of four children living two blocks away from the suspected biological lab told Epoch Times.
“All the children walk this street,” said the mother, who requested anonymity. “Every day, you see parents and kids – it’s scary.”
“The first thing I said was, ‘It’s time to leave here.'”