San Gabriel Valley man tried to ship a literal ton of meth to Australia, feds say

A man has been arrested in the San Gabriel Valley and accused of attempting to ship more than a metric ton of methamphetamine to Australia, according to federal authorities.

Jing Tang Li, 32, of El Monte faces federal charges of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, exportation of controlled substances, and attempt and conspiracy to export controlled substances, the U.S. attorney's office said Friday.

U.S. customs officers inspected seven shipments last year that were set to be sent to Australia, authorities said. The shipping containers were falsely listed as containing carpets and textiles, furniture, wheel hub testing equipment and a casting machine, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. The shipping companies listed for the products were also determined to be fake.

All told, authorities seized more than 1,000 kilograms — the equivalent of more than 2,200 pounds — of meth embedded in these shipping containers.

"Dangerous drugs such as methamphetamine devastate our community. We see the misery brought by highly addictive drugs on our streets every day," U.S. Atty. Martin Estrada said in a statement. "The massive amount of methamphetamine seized in this case shows how brazen drug traffickers have become and why it is imperative that we use our resources to hold these criminals responsible."

Authorities said they eventually traced these shipments back to Li, who was arrested Thursday when he was spotted driving near a South El Monte warehouse where the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had responded to a reported robbery earlier in the day.

Inside that warehouse, authorities said, were shipping labels, scales and also a package containing meth.

If convicted as charged, Li would face a minimum sentence of 10 years, with a maximum possible sentence of life in federal prison.

Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Australian Federal Police have all been investigating the case.

"Being a mere three hours north of the busiest land border crossing in the Western Hemisphere has made Los Angeles a critical cog in the transnational narcotics trafficking trade," Eddy Wang, Homeland Security Investigations' Los Angeles special agent in charge, said in a statement. "HSI Los Angeles and our partners ... are committed to dismantling these organizations on both sides of the Pacific."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .