Illegal lab containing bioengineered mice infected with HIV and herpes in Cali(insider.com)
insider.com
Illegal lab containing bioengineered mice infected with HIV and herpes in Cali
https://www.insider.com/illegal-lab-found-full-of-bioengineered-mice-and-infectious-diseases-2023-7
38 comments
> How many more covert biolabs is China operating in secret in the U.S.?
Is the company even Chinese?
Is the company even Chinese?
> Is the company even Chinese?
Seems like yes but with a shady trail of dark corners.
> Yao told officials that Prestige BioTech moved assets belonging to a defunct company, Universal Meditech Inc., to the Reedley warehouse from Fresno after UMI went under. Prestige Biotech was a creditor to UMI and identified as its successor, according to court documents.
> Officials were unable to get any California-based address for either company except for the previous Fresno location from which UMI had been evicted.
> "The other addresses provided for identified authorized agents were either empty offices or addresses in China that could not be verified," court documents said.
Seems like yes but with a shady trail of dark corners.
> Yao told officials that Prestige BioTech moved assets belonging to a defunct company, Universal Meditech Inc., to the Reedley warehouse from Fresno after UMI went under. Prestige Biotech was a creditor to UMI and identified as its successor, according to court documents.
> Officials were unable to get any California-based address for either company except for the previous Fresno location from which UMI had been evicted.
> "The other addresses provided for identified authorized agents were either empty offices or addresses in China that could not be verified," court documents said.
Whenever I see a company using Prestige in their name, I can't help but think back to the hit Hollywood movie 'Stepbrothers', and the titular brothers' fictional company, Prestige Worldwide
Cool your jets there, Maverick. It's not even clear from the article what was illegal about the lab, much less that China was operating it. You can't just say "illegal lab," "COVID-19 virus," and some random Chinese name and jump to those conclusions.
Occam’s Razor: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razor
Also: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/officials-believe-fresn...
An investigation found the tenant was Prestige BioTech, a company registered in Nevada and unlicensed for business in California. City officials spoke with Xiuquin Yao, who was identified as the company president, through emails included in the court documents.
Yao told officials that Prestige BioTech moved assets belonging to a defunct company, Universal Meditech Inc., to the Reedley warehouse from Fresno after UMI went under. Prestige Biotech was a creditor to UMI and identified as its successor, according to court documents.
Officials were unable to get any California-based address for either company except for the previous Fresno location from which UMI had been evicted.
"The other addresses provided for identified authorized agents were either empty offices or addresses in China that could not be verified," court documents said.
Also: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/officials-believe-fresn...
An investigation found the tenant was Prestige BioTech, a company registered in Nevada and unlicensed for business in California. City officials spoke with Xiuquin Yao, who was identified as the company president, through emails included in the court documents.
Yao told officials that Prestige BioTech moved assets belonging to a defunct company, Universal Meditech Inc., to the Reedley warehouse from Fresno after UMI went under. Prestige Biotech was a creditor to UMI and identified as its successor, according to court documents.
Officials were unable to get any California-based address for either company except for the previous Fresno location from which UMI had been evicted.
"The other addresses provided for identified authorized agents were either empty offices or addresses in China that could not be verified," court documents said.
Paul-Craft(3)
It's pretty compelling at this point that a chinese lab had a significant undertaking in the development and spread of covid and if you're looking for a 100% undeniable explanation it doesn't exist because that opportunity to investigate is long gone and the Chinese gov forbade anyone from doing a meaningful investigation. Also complicating the truth coming out is that the USA likely played a part through NIH funding the Wuhan lab.
Why anyone acts like it's a conspiracy at this point is pretty funny. This is certainly the time to be skeptical.
Why anyone acts like it's a conspiracy at this point is pretty funny. This is certainly the time to be skeptical.
[deleted]
so the guy with the super duper chinese sounding name who works for the company literally just told the investigators they were doing a bunch of illegal super-villain shit there like genetically modifying animals to spread covid? like, he just said "yeah, we're doing that." ... what?
this is all according to some podunk newspaper called the san joaquin valley sun, of course.
sorry, i don't believe this for a microsecond.
this is all according to some podunk newspaper called the san joaquin valley sun, of course.
sorry, i don't believe this for a microsecond.
Again, what is the motive? Where is the money coming from?
Secret COVID HIV rats is a Bond villian thing, not something actual criminals do to make a buck.
Secret COVID HIV rats is a Bond villian thing, not something actual criminals do to make a buck.
I'm sure there are more reasons, but modified herpes and HIV have both been used as experimental cancer treatments.
Edit: It appears they made a variety of in-vitro tests during their peak operating period. For diseases, pregnancy, drugs, etc. So probably more about "criminally sloppy lab" than any more movie-worthy motive.
An old wayback grab of their product page: https://web.archive.org/web/20190731163304/http://universal-...
Edit: It appears they made a variety of in-vitro tests during their peak operating period. For diseases, pregnancy, drugs, etc. So probably more about "criminally sloppy lab" than any more movie-worthy motive.
An old wayback grab of their product page: https://web.archive.org/web/20190731163304/http://universal-...
Universal Meditech Inc one of the companies referenced made covid rapid tests, so the most charitable take on this is it was a sloppily run lab trying to make money on covid tests. There's a recall notice the FDA issued, so they did make something. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety...
All the transmissibility of herpes with the damage of HIV.
Of course, of course.
Totally safe of course. Zero chance of lab escape. I do hear there are wet markets nearby though…..
Of course, of course.
Totally safe of course. Zero chance of lab escape. I do hear there are wet markets nearby though…..
This should be really bigger news.
Seperate news reports include claims that the company was "developing COVID19 tests" among other things. This could very well have been funded through pandemic relief grants.
The owners of the building claim no knowledge of the goings on there.
Clearly they were engaged in some nefarious work with extremely minimal safety protocol.
Seperate news reports include claims that the company was "developing COVID19 tests" among other things. This could very well have been funded through pandemic relief grants.
The owners of the building claim no knowledge of the goings on there.
Clearly they were engaged in some nefarious work with extremely minimal safety protocol.
Does anyone have reporting from a higher quality source?
Previously on HN:
CDC detects coronavirus, HIV, hepatitis and herpes at unlicensed California lab
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36921530
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/officials-believe-fresn...
There the story is being put down because it kind of sounds like the lab leak theory so obviously it can’t be true. The cognitive dissonance is strong.
It's being put down because it does not sound like the lab leak theory. It just sounds like a sloppy lab.
Where do you think all those cheap covid tests came from? I'd bet a lot of them came from grey area labs that probably didn't follow regulations too closely. Considering how imprecise they were...
Where do you think all those cheap covid tests came from? I'd bet a lot of them came from grey area labs that probably didn't follow regulations too closely. Considering how imprecise they were...
This is the stuff of horror movies, so much can go wrong. How are they even able to acquire such material without some oversight?
user6723(1)
Don't forget that it also contained modified SARS virus.
This fact alone shocks the conscience. Criminal charges should fly swift and fierce against everyone involved in this illegal operation.
What’s horrifying is that this biolab was found on a fluke. How many more covert biolabs is China operating in secret in the U.S.?