Chinese immigrant driver to be sentenced in US after border stop uncovered 207 pounds of marijuana

Chinese immigrant driver Wenjian Zhuo is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of possessing more than 200 pounds of marijuana with intent to distribute following a federal trial in the United States.

According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, Zhuo was found guilty after a jury trial in federal court in Syracuse.

Authorities said his vehicle was found carrying approximately 207 pounds of marijuana after a stop near the Canadian border.

The case involved a January 2025 incident in which Zhuo drove from New York City to the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation, where authorities said his vehicle was loaded with marijuana before he began travelling back towards New York City.

Border stop led to drug discovery

According to the US Attorney’s Office, Zhuo was stopped by US Border Patrol while transporting the marijuana back to New York City, and the drugs were seized during the investigation.

The agency said the case was investigated by US Border Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Assistant US Attorney Douglas Collyer prosecuted the case.

According to The New Yorker, Zhuo said he believed he had been hired to pick up an international student near the Canadian border rather than transport illegal substances.

The publication reported that Zhuo drove about seven hours from Queens before arriving at the location, where a man loaded boxes into his vehicle but did not enter the car.

Dashcam footage presented during trial

Selections from Zhuo’s rearview camera footage were submitted as evidence during the trial.

In the footage, Zhuo was shown communicating with Border Patrol agents after being stopped.

He told one agent, “Hello sir. So sorry, I English no good.”

When questioned about the contents of his vehicle, Zhuo used a translation application to communicate with authorities.

According to the footage, the translated message stated that a customer had asked him to collect something and bring it to New York.

Authorities later determined that the boxes inside his vehicle contained more than 200 pounds of marijuana.

Conviction and sentencing date change

Zhuo was convicted of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

The US Attorney’s Office said the charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to US$1 million, and at least three years of supervised release.

Any sentence will be determined by the court based on federal sentencing guidelines and other relevant factors.

Zhuo was originally scheduled to be sentenced on 23 June 2026 by US Senior District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby, who presided over the trial, according to the US Attorney’s Office.

However, the sentencing did not proceed on that date.

According to The New Yorker, Zhuo is now scheduled to be sentenced on 28 July 2026.

Zhuo maintains innocence

Zhuo has continued to maintain that he did not knowingly participate in a drug trafficking operation.

The New Yorker quoted Zhuo as saying: “I believe in the law in the U.S. That’s why I came here. If there is not law, why did I come here?”

Zhuo’s partner, Minxing Zou, gave birth to their daughter about one month after his arrest while he remained in custody.

The case has attracted attention following the release of dashcam footage from the incident and reporting on Zhuo’s claim that he believed he was carrying out a transport job rather than knowingly participating in a marijuana trafficking operation.