Chinese nationals charged with smuggling ‘biological pathogen' into U.S.
Authorities in the United States have charged two Chinese nationals in Detroit for allegedly smuggling a 'dangerous biological pathogen' into the country.
Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, both Chinese citizens, were charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements and visa fraud, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. said in a statement Tuesday.
'The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals—including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party—are of the gravest national security concerns,' Gorgon said.
'These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a 'potential agroterrorism weapon' into in (sic) the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme.'
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The two have been charged with smuggling a fungus called Fusarium graminearum.
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The statement said it is classified as 'a potential agroterrorism weapon.'
The fungus causes diseases in crops such as wheat, barley, maize and rice and 'is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year.'
The statement said the toxins in the fungus cause vomiting, liver damage and reproductive defects in humans and livestock.
Authorities allege that Jian received Chinese government funding for her research at a University of Michigan laboratory and say they received a complaint that alleged she was a member of and loyal to the Chinese Communist Party.
The statement said Liu, who is Jian's boyfriend, works at a Chinese university and conducts research on the same pathogen.
'He first lied but then admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into America—through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport—so that he could conduct research on it at the laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked,' the statement said.
Jian will appear in federal court in Detroit on Tuesday afternoon for her initial appearance on the complaint.
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