Dylan Tokar

They were aware of Zhang's activity going back years, from what I understand.

I mean, they saw him play a major role in a prior investigation they had into a smaller drug trafficking ring in the LA County area.

And that's when they realized just the sheer quantity of money that he was handling.

And so that's when they decided, when they wrapped up that case, that they would launch an investigation to Zhang specifically.

The main thing that they had to do to make this case was just primarily sitting in cars outside of suspects' residences.

And then, you know, often for a long time until someone would come out of that residence with a bag of cash and then they would follow them all the way across L.A.

And you're just trying to commit as many hours to that as you possibly can, hoping you're going to see something that helps you make the case.

This time, they have police officers waiting for him, police officers from Southgate Police Department.

So they get Yu to consent to a search.

They find bundles of cash in his backpack.

Yu says it's about $100,000.

They get a canine unit to come do a sniff test.

So the dog alerts to the scent of narcotics, so they're able to seize it legally.

One of the lead task force officers arrives on the scene shortly after the arrest.

He reads Zhang his Miranda rights, and Zhang sort of starts to, on his own accord, basically talk.

Zhang tells the task force officer that's not drug money, he says, I know a lot of rich people, and I move a lot of money for rich people.

This is the challenge, I think, of being...

someone who, in law enforcement, who is up against the cartels.

I mean, they're operating at such a huge scale, taking out this one money laundering group.

But it was very clear, talking to people close to the investigation, that this was not the only way that Sinaloa was laundering its money in L.A.