A Chinese national and PhD student from Wuhan has been arrested in the United States for allegedly smuggling biological materials related to parasitic roundworms and lying to federal authorities.
Chengxuan Han, a researcher at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, was taken into custody by the FBI upon arrival at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on 8 June. US prosecutors have charged her with smuggling goods into the country and making false statements—both felony offences.
Authorities allege Han sent four undeclared packages containing biological material to individuals linked to a University of Michigan laboratory over the past year. The shipments, which included material concealed inside books, were intercepted by customs officials and reportedly required government permits.
Upon her arrival in Detroit on a J1 visa, Han allegedly misled US Customs and Border Protection officers about the contents of the shipments and admitted during an FBI interview that she had erased data from her electronic device just days earlier.
“She admitted to sending the packages and lying about their contents,” the FBI said in a court filing. Homeland Security and US Customs officials are also involved in the investigation.
FBI Director Kash Patel noted on social media that Han is the third Chinese national recently charged in similar cases: “This case is part of a broader effort by the FBI and our federal partners to crack down on the smuggling of potentially dangerous pathogens, as the CCP continues to target US research institutions.”
US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr said the incident is “part of an alarming pattern” and warned that the American public should not be “underwriting a PRC-based smuggling operation at one of our critical public institutions.”
Han remains in custody and is due to appear in federal court in Detroit for a bond hearing on Wednesday.
This arrest follows charges laid last week against two other Chinese scientists, Yunqing Jian and her partner Zunyong Liu. Jian, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan, and Liu, a researcher in China, are accused of smuggling Fusarium graminearum, a fungus considered a potential agroterrorism weapon, into the US.
Liu has since returned to China, while Jian remains in custody.
In response, the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago said it had lodged a formal protest with US authorities, accusing them of failing to fulfil obligations under the China-US Consular Convention.
“The Chinese government has always required its citizens overseas to observe local laws,” the consulate said in a statement, while warning against “political manipulation” under the guise of national security.
Experts have noted that while roundworms themselves may not pose a direct threat, proper permits are crucial for importing biological material due to potential biosecurity risks.
“This doesn’t strike me as something dangerous,” said University of California biologist Michael Shapira, “but there are rules for a reason.”
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