According to the Associated Press, Boa Zhong Zhang, vice president of Changge Jixiang Bee Products Ltd. in Henan Province, China, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Seattle to conspiracy to smuggle goods into the country by using false statements and to introducing adulterated foods into interstate commerce. Zhang faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced Nov. 30. Still facing charges in the case is Chung Po Liu, 68, of Bellevue, owner of Rainier Cascade and Evergreen Produce. Both were charged with arranging to ship $1.6 million worth of honey to Thailand and the Philippines and relabel it as originating in those countries to avoid paying $3.3 million in U.S. punitive antidumping tariffs on honey from China. A shipment in January 2008 was found to contain ciproflaxin, an antibiotic that is used to fight bacterial infections but in rare cases can cause tendon damage and is barred from the food supply. Zhang was arrested May 6 in Los Angeles. Liu, who had been under investigation for more than a year, turned himself in May 6. He faces trial April 5..
