Crime & CourtsVersion 3

Six Charged in Eastern District of Texas Synthetic Drug Trafficking Case

Federal prosecutors allege a China-based supplier and a domestic distributor shipped synthetic drugs to inmates across the United States; all six defendants are presumed innocent.

3 reports on this incident · first at Sep 9, 2026, 8:57 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterUpdated Sep 10, 2026, 9:23 a.m. ET

Six people have been in the in an alleged drug trafficking and money laundering scheme, according to fox4news.com, wbap.com and wilsoncountynews.com. The announcement date is reported as September 9, 2026, by fox4news.com and September 1, 2026, by wilsoncountynews.com. The case is at the charging stage and has not been resolved; the charges are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent. The government alleges the defendants conspired beginning in March 2023 to distribute synthetic opioids, synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic stimulants and other controlled substances in correctional facilities, wbap.com reported. According to wbap.com, the government alleges Adell Willis obtained synthetic drugs from Lisa Xing and Zhanwen Song in China and had the substances shipped to his home in the and to Judy Ly's residence in Michigan, and that Willis and Ly converted the drugs into a liquid and used the mixture to saturate sheets of paper that were then delivered to inmates at federal and state correctional institutions around the country. Separately, fox4news.com reported that the indictment alleges a China-based supplier and a domestic distributor worked together to bring deadly synthetic drugs into the United States for distribution across the country, and that prosecutors allege the drugs received from China were liquidized and saturated into sheets of paper before being delivered to inmates at various prisons across the United States. Wilsoncountynews.com reported that the government alleges Joseph Adrian Padilla and Julian Esquivel used their positions and access as correctional employees to facilitate the introduction of methamphetamine and other prohibited items into the facility in exchange for payment. The defendants are Lisa Xing, 36; Zhanwen Song, 38; Adell Willis, 43, of Lewisville; Judy Ly, 30, of Grand Rapids, Michigan; Joseph Adrian Padilla, 50; and Julian Esquivel, 20, according to fox4news.com, wbap.com and wilsoncountynews.com. The charges include drug trafficking, money laundering violations, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, providing or possessing contraband in prison, bribery of a public official, conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances, conspiracy to possess contraband in prison, conspiracy to manufacture and distribute controlled substances knowing they would be unlawfully imported into the United States, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and possessing synthetic drugs with intent to distribute, according to wilsoncountynews.com, wbap.com and fox4news.com. The proceeding is at the charging stage; the charges are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent. The case is being investigated by the FBI, the DEA, the Homeland Security Task Force, China's Ministry of Public Security, the U.S. Marshals, Homeland Security Investigations, the ATF, IRS Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Transportation Security Administration, the Secret Service, the State Department and the U.S. Marshals Service, according to fox4news.com, wbap.com and wilsoncountynews.com. The charges carry , according to wbap.com and fox4news.com.

Earlier reports

Sep 9, 2026, 9:08 p.m. ET
Four Charged in Alleged Prison Drug Trafficking Scheme
Four people have been charged in the Eastern District of Texas in a case alleging a China-based supplier and a domestic distributor worked together to bring deadly synthetic drugs into the United States for distribution across the country, Fox 4 News reported. The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
The indictment alleges that drugs received from China were liquidized and saturated into sheets of paper before they were delivered to inmates at various prisons across the United States, according to Fox 4 News. The case was announced on September 9, 2026.
The defendants named in the case are Lisa Xing, 36; Zhanwen Song, 38; Adell Willis, 43, of Lewisville; and Judy Ly, 30, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Fox 4 News reported. The charges are drug trafficking and money laundering violations. The proceeding stage is charged, and the statutory maximum is a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in federal prison.
The investigating agencies are the FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Task Force, and China’s Ministry of Public Security, according to Fox 4 News. What remains to be decided has not been determined.
Sep 9, 2026, 8:57 p.m. ETFirst report
Four charged in alleged drug trafficking scheme tied to prison mailings
Four people have been charged in the Eastern District of Texas with drug trafficking and money laundering violations, Fox 4 News reported on Sept. 9, 2026.
The defendants are Lisa Xing, 36; Zhanwen Song, 38; Adell Willis, 43, of Lewisville; and Judy Ly, 30, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, according to Fox 4 News.
The indictment alleges that a China-based supplier and a domestic distributor worked together to bring deadly synthetic drugs into the United States for distribution across the country, Fox 4 News reported. Prosecutors allege the drugs received from China were liquidized and saturated into sheets of paper before being delivered to inmates at prisons across the United States, according to the outlet.
The case is at the charging stage. The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent. The charge carries a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in federal prison, Fox 4 News reported; that is the maximum the charge carries, not a sentence.
The FBI, the DEA, a Homeland Security task force and China's Ministry of Public Security are involved in the investigation, according to Fox 4 News.

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Revision history

Version 310 Sept 2026, 13:23current
Added wbap.com's detailed conduct allegations and full charge list, expanded investigating agencies, and attributed the statutory maximum to both wbap.com and fox4news.com.
Version 210 Sept 2026, 02:41
Added the two additional defendants, the full list of charges, the conflicting announcement dates, the second source's account of the alleged conduct, and the additional investigating agencies.
Version 110 Sept 2026, 01:03
First published.
Version 110 Sept 2026, 00:57current
First published.
Version 110 Sept 2026, 01:08current
First published.

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