Chinese national with University of Michigan ties charged for smuggling bio material into U.S.

Yahoo

2 days ago

University of Michigan | Susan J. Demas
A citizen of the People's Republic of China was arrested and charged with smuggling concealed biological material into the U.S. from a university in Wuhan, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan announced Monday.
The arrest of Chengxuan Han, who is currently pursuing a doctorate degree from the College of Life Science and Technology at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, is the third such arrest in the last few weeks related to smuggling of biological agents into the country involving the University of Michigan.
'The alleged smuggling of biological materials by this alien from a science and technology university in Wuhan, China — to be used at a University of Michigan laboratory — is part of an alarming pattern that threatens our security,' said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Jerome Gorgon Jr. in a statement. 'The American taxpayer should not be underwriting a PRC-based smuggling operation at one of our crucial public institutions.'
Han is alleged to have sent four packages with concealed biological material to the U.S. in 2024 and 2025. The packages were addressed to people associated with a laboratory at U of M.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers apprehended Han on Sunday after she arrived at Detroit Metro Airport on a J1 visa. Officers inspected Han and noted that Han made false statements about the packages and the material she had previously shipped to the U.S.
The content of an electronic device Han possessed was deleted three days prior to her arrival in the U.S. this week, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Han was next interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, during which Han admitted to sending the packages and that they contained biological material related to round worms. She also admitted to making false statements to CBP officers during her initial inspection.
'The FBI has zero tolerance for those who violate federal law and remains unwavering in our mission to protect the American people,' Cheyvoryea Gibson, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, said in a statement. 'The alleged smuggling of biological materials by Chengxuan Han is a direct threat to public safety and national security, and it severely compromises the integrity of our nation's research institutions.''
The Detroit News reported that Han was the third Chinese national with connections to U of M charged with a federal crime in the last two weeks. The FBI recently charged student Yunqing Jian and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, for attempting to smuggle biological pathogens into the country, which the agency said could be used as an agricultural terrorism weapon affecting food crops.