In the crime world, it is common for individuals to have little wealth on paper while spending a great deal of cash on material items. Zhi Wei Yang is one such individual, and authorities believe that his ability to spend millions at SkyCity while on a middle-class salary is a sign that he has been up to no good. Yang is allegedly a ‘substantial wholesaler’ of pseudoephedrine, used to make meth in New Zealand.
Authorities seized 600kg of the substance, which could be used to make $170 million worth of consumable drugs. While he has not been arrested, police hope to prove that Yang is involved by proving that his property and wealth are tainted. Over the course of several months, Yang spent $14 million at SkyCity Auckland.
His usual buy-in amount was worth $2 million. During the same time period, he had officially earned $4200 in income. According to local authorities, this is a sign that he is likely involved in the drug trade. Other commercial activities have implicated Yang in the drug investigation, as well.
He purchased a $1 million home in cash and owned a jewellery collection worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, which is not characteristic of a person who makes a regular wage. "The inference available is that his assets would have been funded, at least in part, through criminal activity," reads a police report published in the New Zealand Herald.
There is certainly something suspect about Yang’s involvement in the case, and police hope to implicate him by using his activity at SkyCity and property as proof. This is certainly one of the more interesting legal suits to involve a local casino, as the case is record-breaking.
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