Wuhan scientist arrested for smuggling toxic parasites into US
A Chinese scientist has been charged with smuggling toxic parasites into the United States.
Chengxuan Han, a doctoral student at a university in Wuhan, China, is accused of shipping four separate packages of 'concealed biological material' to individuals associated with the University of Michigan in 2024 and 2025, according to the US attorney's office.
Han is the third Chinese national to be arrested for smuggling potentially hazardous material into the university in the last week.
She was stopped on June 8 after landing in Detroit, where she was questioned by border patrol officers.
She initially lied to the officers about the packages, claiming that they contained plastic cups instead of petri dishes, but eventually she admitted to making 'false statements' and said the packages contained 'biological material related to roundworms', according to the US attorney's office.
Roundworms are a type of parasite that can cause a number of illnesses in humans, including diarrhoea and nerve problems.
The border officers also found that the contents of her electronic devices had been deleted three days before she arrived in the country.
'The FBI has zero tolerance for those who violate federal law and remains unwavering in our mission to protect the American people,' said Cheyvoryea Gibson, a special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit field office.
'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.'
Han is just the latest Chinese scientist to be accused of serious crimes related to smuggling biological material.
On June 3, Yunqing Jian, a scientist at the University of Michigan, and Zunyong Liu, her boyfriend, were both charged with smuggling a toxic fungus for potential agroterrorism uses into the US.
The FBI found that both Jian and Liu had done previous work on the same pathogen in China, and Jian had received money directly from the Chinese government for this research.
There is so far no indication that Han is connected to the couple, but the common destination of the material does raise questions about the university.
While the university has a top life science program, it has also been at the centre of previous controversies involving China.
In 2023, five Chinese nationals, who were all undergraduate students at the university, were arrested for allegedly spying on military equipment at Camp Grayling, the US military training centre.
The students were part of a joint program with China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and following the incident, the University of Michigan announced that it would be ending the partnership.
The five were not arrested for espionage but were charged with lying and attempting to cover their tracks.
Camp Grayling, the largest National Guard training facility in the US, is one of a few places known to be training Taiwanese troops.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory, which the government in Taipei rejects, and has threatened to invade the island on multiple occasions.
It is unclear why Jian, Liu, and now Han selected the University of Michigan, but according to court documents, Han had reportedly tried to enter the US on two separate occasions before her arrest, and she was denied entry both times.
On one attempt, she apparently 'could not clearly answer basic questions about herself or her research'.
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