Shocking discovery of an illegal medical lab inside a California warehouse filled with infectious agents, dangerous viruses, and bioengineered mice has led to an ongoing investigation.
Officials in the United States have made a shocking discovery of an illegal medical lab concealed inside a California warehouse. The warehouse, operated by Prestige BioTech, a Nevada-based company not registered in California, was found to be handling at least 20 dangerous viruses, bacteria, and parasites, including COVID-19, E. Coli, malaria, HIV, hepatitis, and herpes, according to The Independent.
The investigation into the lab began in March when a city code enforcement officer noticed a garden hose attached to the back wall of the facility. This observation led officials to search the site and uncover the illicit lab, leaving them astounded by what they encountered.
Reedley City Manager, Nicole Zieba, expressed her shock at the discovery, stating that in her more than two decades of civil service, she had never encountered anything like this before. The presence of such hazardous materials and infectious agents in an unsuspecting warehouse was indeed an unusual situation.
"This is an unusual situation. I've been in government for 25 years. I've never seen anything like this," Zieba stated.
As the investigation continued, it was revealed that the lab contained around 30 refrigerators and freezers, some of which were no longer operational by the time they were found. Additionally, incubators and medical testing devices were discovered on-site, alongside the dangerous disease samples and nearly 1,000 bioengineered mice. Interestingly, investigators also stumbled upon a room in the facility where pregnancy tests were being manufactured.
According to information from New York Post, Wang Zhaolin, a representative of the company operating the lab, confessed that the mice within the warehouse had been genetically engineered to catch and spread the COVID-19 virus.
"Certain rooms of the warehouse were found to contain several vessels of liquid and various apparatus," NBC News reported. "Fresno County Public Health staff also observed blood, tissue and other bodily fluid samples and serums; and thousands of vials of unlabeled fluids and suspected biological material," the report added.
Alarming details continued to emerge as officials found that around 800 of the mice discovered in the warehouse had to be euthanized, while approximately 175 mice were already dead. Moreover, the site was filled with bottles of "unknown chemicals," as stated by Joe Prado from the Fresno County Department of Public Health.
As of 7th July, all the biohazards present in the lab have been destroyed, as reported. However, investigations into the origins and activities of the lab are ongoing, seeking to unravel the mystery behind such a clandestine and dangerous operation.