The Las Vegas home raided by federal agents looked, at first glance, like any other short-term rental listed online: a tidy living room, a bright kitchen and game tables staged for paying guests.
Realtor photos showed pool and foosball tables, clean surfaces and carefully arranged furnishings, offering no hint of what investigators say was hidden inside.
Behind a locked door in the attached two-car garage, hazmat teams allegedly uncovered a suspected illegal laboratory packed with thousands of vials, bottled liquids and lab equipment feared to pose serious biological or chemical risks.
Reports suggested that the residence doubled as an Airbnb at the same time the materials were being stored. While property manager Ori Solomon allegedly lived there full-time, some rooms were simultaneously rented out to unsuspecting tenants.
At least two short-term renters who entered the garage later became so ill they were reportedly unable to get out of bed.
The home is owned by Jia Bei Zhu, a Chinese national previously linked to a 2023 investigation into a clandestine biolab discovered inside a Reedley, California, home.
That earlier lab allegedly contained thousands of samples labeled as potential pathogens, including HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, COVID-19 and Ebola. Zhu was arrested in 2023 and remains in custody.
The Las Vegas discovery has intensified fears among authorities that similar operations could be quietly embedded inside ordinary neighborhoods, and even next door to Americans booking a weekend stay.
A suburban neighborhood was turned upside on Saturday when authorities raided a home after getting a tip it was housing a possible biological laboratory
During the search of the Las Vegas home, officers entered a room that appeared to function as an office for Ori Solomon (pictured), who is now in custody
When the hazmat team entered the garage, they found three refrigerators and a large freezer
From the street, there was little to distinguish the Sugar Springs Drive home lab from its surrounding properties.
Framed by palm trees, manicured shrubs and bright yellow flowers, the single-family residence blended seamlessly into the quiet Las Vegas neighborhood near Washington Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard.
Inside, however, investigators found it to be anything but ordinary.
During the search, FBI agents entered a room that appeared to function as an office for Solomon, identified in court documents as the property manager. Inside, investigators found personal belongings bearing Solomon’s name, including his wallet and two passports, according to the criminal complaint.
Officers also observed two 9mm bullets resting on a computer stand. A subsequent search of a cabinet in the same room uncovered a black Glock semi-automatic pistol.
Authorities later determined Solomon’s immigration status prohibited him from owning or possessing a firearm.
But the most alarming discovery came in the garage.
Hazmat teams reported finding three refrigerators and one large freezer behind the locked door. Each was allegedly packed with plastic bags containing dozens of vials filled with unknown substances. Investigators also recovered laboratory equipment and large gallon jugs holding liquids of varying colors and compositions.
Authorities sent a robot through the front door first (pictured), due to the possible hazardous situation that waited inside
In total, more than 1,000 samples were collected and sent for testing.
Documents indicate that multiple people had access to the home at the time of the seizure, and that may have unknowingly come into contact with the materials.
Police said three individuals were renting rooms inside the property when authorities executed the search warrant.
Those renters were safely evacuated and later confirmed not to be connected to the alleged lab or the broader investigation.
One person told authorities the garage was always locked, according to documents obtained by 8 News Now.
Another reported that the space contained three refrigerators and emitted an odor described as ‘like a hospital, not a clean hospital, but more of a foul, stale, stagnant air smell.’
Pictured: Hazmat teams pulled bags of vials from a giant freezer
The contents of the vials are unknown, but the home was owned by a Chinese man who was arrested in California in 2023 for an alleged biolab with samples labeled ‘COVID,’ ‘Ebola’ and ‘HIV’
Property records show the Las Vegas residence was purchased in 2022 by David Destiny Discovery LLC, a company tied to Zhu and his business partner, Zhaoyan Wang. It was purchased one year before Zhu was arrested in California.
The similarities between the Las Vegas and Reedley cases have raised alarms among investigators, particularly as federal and local authorities across the US examine a growing number of China-linked laboratories operating outside regulated facilities.
After Solomon was taken into custody on Saturday, investigators recovered from the home two passports, one French and one Israeli, both belonging to him.
While being held at the Clark County Detention Center on February 1, Solomon allegedly made a recorded phone call to his daughter. During the call, investigators say he asked, ‘Is there any guns left? Is here any guns left in the house or did they confiscate [them]?’
According to the complaint, a female voice responded that authorities had located a lockbox containing the pistol but were unable to open it.
Following that exchange, investigators obtained a second search warrant authorizing the seizure of firearms and ammunition from the property.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed the contents of the vials recovered from the garage (pictured) or whether any biological agents have been confirmed
Among hundreds of vials of infectious viruses and bacteria found at the California home, many of which were stored improperly in shoddy freezers, were samples of malaria (pictured) labeled in both English and Chinese characters
The California home was also found with thousands of mice that were confined to a poorly ventilated room, hardly larger than a closet, under constant bright lights shown in the above photo. Court documents also say they lacked adequate food and water
Further records show Solomon is currently in the US on an E-2 non-immigrant visa, valid through May 5, 2026. The visa classification does not grant immigration benefits and explicitly prohibits firearm ownership or possession.
Authorities have not yet publicly disclosed the contents of the vials recovered from the garage, nor have they confirmed whether any biological agents have been identified.
Testing remains ongoing, and no charges related to the biological materials have been announced.
Daily Mail has contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for comment. The investigation remains active.