CONTACT US

Contact Form

    News Details

    Tustin man gets more than 17 years in prison for leading a drug trafficking ring active in Australia and Papua New Guinea
    • May 13, 2025

    LOS ANGELES — An Orange County man was sentenced Monday to more than 17 years behind bars for leading a drug trafficking ring that ran bulk quantities of methamphetamine to Australia and Papua New Guinea concealed in shipments of car parts and instant noodles.

    Hoang Xuan Le, 43, also known as “Big Bro,” of Tustin, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner, who ordered him to pay a fine of $50,000 along with the 210-month prison sentence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

    Le pleaded guilty in November 2024 in Los Angeles federal court to one count of conspiracy to export controlled substances.

    From July 2020 to October 2021, Le and co-defendant Tri Buinguyen, 40, known as “Bro,” of Garden Grove arranged for the export of the drugs via air cargo and ocean freight, falsifying the shipments on manifests and customs documents, federal prosecutors said.

    By relying on “military-grade” encryption software and messaging apps to coordinate shipments, the defendants communicated with vendors and customs officials under fake names and email accounts to disguise the drugs as legitimate commercial products, according to federal prosecutors.

    In his plea agreement, Le admitted to overseeing at least two shipments of narcotics from the United States to the Indo-Pacific region. In August 2020, he directed the shipment of nearly 66.1 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in metal boxes to Australia. From April 2021 to September 2021, Le directed the shipment to Papua New Guinea of about 330.7 pounds of the drug concealed in food storage buckets. Law enforcement intercepted both shipments.

    On Feb. 24, Buinguyen was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison and fined $50,000 for his role in the conspiracy. He pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count of conspiracy to export controlled substances, admitting his role in the two drug shipments, plus additional shipments of methamphetamine concealed in ready-to-eat meal packets that were delivered to New Zealand and intercepted by law enforcement there, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

    Co-defendants Trung Buinguyen, 41, of Lakewood, and Narongsak Champy, 29, of Long Beach, were charged with one count of conspiracy to export controlled substances and one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Law enforcement was seeking both defendants.

    ​ Orange County Register 

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    News