2 Chinese Nationals Arrested in East Texas Hiding 20 Gold Bars Worth $250K

Authorities in Texas literally “struck gold” when a traffic stop on a Michigan-registered vehicle led to the arrest of two Chinese nationals—who were hiding around 20 gold bars worth somewhere between $200,000 to $250,000.

Knewz.com has learned that the two Chinese individuals have been identified as 25-year-old Weijian Chen and 46-year-old Wenqiang Lin.

The arrest was made on the Interstate 20 highway in Texas where traffic enforcement officials noticed the vehicle committing a traffic violation.

Sergeant Charlie Hughes of the Wills Point Police Department stopped the White Chevy Malibu when he noticed the violation.

Due to a language barrier, the Sergeant asked Chen, who was driving the vehicle, to follow him to the patrol vehicle and talk to him through a translator app.

According to reports, Chen told Hughes that he and Lin had flown from Los Angeles to Atlanta, where they claimed to have stayed for a day, and were “heading to Dallas and went to Florida to ‘play.'”

At this point, the Sergeant grew suspicious of the pair, and according to a released affidavit, he “observed multiple factors that lead [him] to believe there was criminal activity afoot.”

The Michigan-registered vehicle was reportedly rented in Lin’s name, and when Sgt. Hughes requested his permission to search the vehicle, he “seemed unsure.”

Hughes deployed a K9 to “sniff” out any wrongdoing, who seemed to have found something on the “front passenger door seam” and alerted the traffic enforcement officers.

The police found a bag on the floorboard behind the driver’s seat—inside which were several gold bullion bars.

According to reports, the bag contained “seven 1-ounce packaged 999.9 gold bars, three 5-gram packaged 999.9 gold bars, One gram marked with 20 squares 999.9 gold bar, and eight 10-ounce packaged 999.9 gold bars.”

In total, the haul’s value amounted to around $200,000 to $250,000.

“Based on my training, I know that it is very unlikely that Lin or Chen could have transported the gold bullion through the airport Transportation Security Administration security checkpoint without filing a United States Currency Transaction Report,” Hughes said in a statement, per reports.

After the two Chinese individuals were arrested and transported to the Van Zandt County Jail for booking, Sgt. Hughes contacted U.S. Homeland Security to inquire about the pair’s immigration records.

The Department informed the Wills Point Police Department Sergeant that both Chen and Lin had entered the U.S. illegally, Chen on December 17, 2023, and Lin on September 15, 2023.

Notably, Lin told the authorities that he had first gone to Hong Kong after leaving China, and flew to Turkey from there.

From Turkey, the 46-year-old flew to Mexico, following which he attempted to enter the U.S. with other Chinese nationals through the Southern border.

Hughes contacted the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Interdiction Unit to find out whether the two individuals had been stopped in Georgia as well and spoke to Corporal Thompson about the matter.

The Corporal informed Hughes that he had stopped Lin and Chen on July 31 – again for a traffic violation – following which his narcotics dog raised an alert which led him to search the vehicle.

He added that he had been trying to keep track of the Chinese duo ever since.

“At that time, the [car rental] company told Corporal Thompson that two men who rented the vehicle had returned and exchanged it for a different vehicle. With the identification of that vehicle, Corporal Thompson was able to track Lin and Chen,” Hughes said in a statement.

“He determined that they left the airport area and traveled North to Marietta, Georgia to an area known for cartel activity,” the Sergeant added.

KETK News reported that the two individuals were charged with money laundering, and have been held at the Van Zandt County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

Upon their arrest, both Chen and Lin initially claimed that they had no idea where the bag or the gold came from. Notably, the police found plane tickets belonging to Chen inside the car, which reportedly showed that he did not have a bag with him when he boarded his flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta.

It was reported that Chen stated during an interview at the Van Zandt County Jail that “someone” had given him the gold bars and asked him to transport them to Dallas. However, he has not elaborated further.