Over 1,800 pounds of Marijuana seized in Mississippi drug bust

Press Release from Hattiesburg Police Department:
Hattiesburg, Miss.-On Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, investigators with the DEA, along with assistance from the Hattiesburg Police Department (HPD), Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN), Forrest County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO), the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP), Waynesboro Police Department and Covington County Sheriff’s Office, executed a search warrant operation, which led to the arrest of several individuals and seizure of approximately 1,839 lbs. of marijuana and $148,000 in illicit proceeds.

Five individuals, all residents of California, have been arrested and charged with the following in the ongoing illegal narcotics investigation:

▪️ Weiying Zhong, 40, was charged with one (1) count of Trafficking Controlled Substances and one (1) count of Conspiracy to Commit a Felony

▪️ Dong Hong, 37, was charged with one (1) count of Trafficking Controlled Substances and (1) count of Conspiracy to Commit a Felony

▪️ Ligang Duan, 49, was charged with one (1) count of Trafficking Controlled Substances and one (1) count of Conspiracy to Commit a Felony

▪️ Kaihua Yu, 45, was charged with one (1) count of Trafficking Controlled Substances and one (1) count of Conspiracy to Commit a Felony

▪️ Xin Zhao, 23, was charged with one (1) count of Trafficking Controlled Substances and one (1) count of Conspiracy to Traffic Marijuana

All have been booked into Forrest County Jail.

This is an ongoing investigation.

Update:

On Tuesday, bond was set for each suspect at $35,000 for all drug trafficking charges and $5,000 for conspiracy to commit a crime. All five suspects were from California and they were all booked into the Forrest County Jail immediate after being arrested.