Zhenli Ye Gon

Zhenli Ye Gon (born January 31, 1963, in Shanghai[1][2]) is a Chinese-Mexican businessman currently under suspicion of trafficking pseudoephedrine or ephedrine precursor chemicals into Mexico from Asia.

Only 4 of Unimed's 291 imported shipments (from Canada, China, England, Germany, Israel, Hong Kong and the United States) into Mexico have ever been questioned.

Samples taken from the four challenged shipments by Mexican officials were never turned over to U.S. authorities for independent testing, as Ye Gon's U.S. defense counsel had requested.

On June 22, 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss its case against Ye Gon, citing Mexico's interests as well as evidential concerns.

As a result of the efforts of Messrs. Retureta and Balarezo, all charges brought against Ye Gon by the government of the United States were dismissed with prejudice on August 28, 2009.

[10] Judge Sullivan also noted how "this court made numerous inquiries of government counsel as to just what the status of the requests were to get drug samples for testing purposes, to provide evidence for the prosecution, and basically ... Mexico just snubbed the United States."

[12] In his habeas petition, Ye Gon has argued that in light of the U.S. case's dismissal, his extradition is barred by principles of international double jeopardy (non bis in idem).

The petition also notes how many of Mexico's allegations of wrongdoing underlying the extradition request come from statements made by disgruntled and/or fired former employees of Unimed, and that the Mexican arrest warrant's listed "main accomplice" of Ye Gon has since recanted.

In an interview with the news agency AP, Ye Gon explained he agreed to keep the money in his home after his life, as well as those of his family, were threatened by members of Mexico's PAN party.

Mexico's Judiciary Council issued a statement noting that prosecutors had failed to prove key parts of their case, including that the substance seized was a psychotropic or narcotic drug.

[19] The fortune, reportedly found by the police on March 15, 2007, at his residence at Lomas de Chapultepec in Mexico City included the following: Confiscated along with the money were also: Nine persons were arrested, four of them of Asian origin.

Many seized contents of Ye Gon's home, located in Mexico City's suburb of Lomas de Chapultepec, were subsequently auctioned off by Mexican officials.

The Mérida Initiative involved a multi-year plan in which the U.S. would provide significant financial assistance to the Mexican government, plus smaller amounts to other Latin American countries, to help them combat drug trafficking and other organizations.

However, Ye Gon asserts that he was forced by Javier Lozano Alarcón, Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare, to keep it at his home, and that this money would be used during Felipe Calderón's presidential campaign in 2006.

After his initial examination in Mexican custody, Ye Gon's lawyer Rogelio de la Garza stated on October 21, 2016, that his client was calm and looking forward to demonstrating that there was nothing illegal about the money found at his home.