From Tustin, he ran an Indo-Pacific drug ring like a well-oiled machine, prosecutors say
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An Orange County man who prosecutors said led a drug-trafficking ring that exported hundreds of pounds of meth to Australia and Papua New Guinea has been sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison, according to authorities.
Hoang Xuan Le, 43, of Tustin, pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to export controlled substances in November. He was also ordered to pay a $50,000 fine, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office in the Central District of California.
From July 2020 to October 2021, Le and his co-defendant, Tri Buinguyen, 40, of Garden Grove, arranged for drugs to be exported from the U.S. to Australia and Papua New Guinea through air cargo and ocean freight, officials said.
Yasmin Vantongeren allegedly met up with an acquaintance in Los Angeles who promised a reward for delivering the drugs back to Australia, San Mateo County prosecutors say.
They allegedly used phones with military-grade encryption software, including the Signal messaging app; and fake names, businesses and email accounts to ship the drugs disguised as commercial products.
In his plea agreement, Le admitted to overseeing two shipments of narcotics from the U.S. to the Indo-Pacific region, according to authorities. In August 2020, Le participated in shipping about 66 pounds of meth hidden in metal boxes to Australia, authorities said. And between April 2021 and September 2021, Le directed about 330.7 pounds of meth to Papua New Guinea.
Both shipments were intercepted by law enforcement.
Authorities at the Otay Mesa commercial facility in San Diego County found 1,220 packages of methamphetamine, wrapped in paper and painted green to mimic a watermelon.
“On top of the sophistication and reach of this drug trafficking organization, [Le] played a critical leadership role in it,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “[Le] oversaw international drug shipments, asked for updates on the shipments’ status and location, communicated with co-conspirators abroad, and arranged for drug shipments through air cargo and ocean freight. This was a wide-ranging, lucrative, and sophisticated international narcotics conspiracy, and [Le] was its leader in the United States.”
Buinguyen pleaded guilty in November to a count of conspiracy to export controlled substances, according to authorities. Buinguyen admitted he participated in the two drug shipments and shipped meth concealed in meal packets that were delivered to New Zealand in August and September of 2022, authorities said.
He was sentenced on Feb. 24 to 15 years in prison and fined $50,000.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection at LAX uncovered $1.8 million worth of liquid meth from dog shampoo bottles headed to Australia, officials said.
Two others — Trung Buinguyen, 41, of Lakewood; and Narongsak Champy, 29, of Long Beach — have been charged with conspiracy to export controlled substances and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. They are still at large.
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