Latest news with #biologicalmaterial
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- Science
- The Guardian
US arrests another Chinese scientist for allegedly smuggling biological material
A Chinese scientist was arrested while arriving in the US at the Detroit airport, the second case in days involving the alleged smuggling of biological material, authorities said on Monday. The scientist is accused of shipping biological material months ago to staff at a laboratory at the University of Michigan. The FBI, in a court filing, described it as material related to certain worms and requires a government permit. 'The guidelines for importing biological materials into the US for research purposes are stringent, but clear, and actions like this undermine the legitimate work of other visiting scholars,' said John Nowak, who leads field operations at US Customs and Border Protection. The scientist was interviewed and arrested on Sunday after arriving on a flight from China, where she is pursuing an advanced degree at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. She planned to spend a year completing a project at the University of Michigan. Her shipments, including an envelope stuffed inside a book, were intercepted last year and earlier this year and opened by authorities, the FBI said. The court filing doesn't indicate whether the FBI believes the biological material was risky, though US attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr said smuggling 'threatens our security'. The scientist remains in custody awaiting a bond hearing on Wednesday. 'It doesn't strike me as something that is dangerous in any way. But there are rules to ship biological material,' said Michael Shapira, a biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who read the court filing and spoke to the Associated Press. The government last week charged two Chinese scientists who are accused of conspiring to smuggle a toxic fungus into the US. One was turned around at the Detroit airport and sent back to China last year, while the other, a researcher at the University of Michigan, was arrested. She remains in custody.
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- Science
- South China Morning Post
US arrests another Chinese scientist with no permit to send biological material
A Chinese scientist was arrested while arriving in the US at Detroit airport, the second case in days involving the alleged smuggling of biological material, authorities said on Monday. Advertisement The scientist is accused of shipping biological material months ago to staff at a laboratory at the University of Michigan. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in a court filing, described it as material related to certain worms and requires a government permit. 'The guidelines for importing biological materials into the US for research purposes are stringent, but clear, and actions like this undermine the legitimate work of other visiting scholars,' said John Nowak, who leads field operations at US Customs and Border Protection. The scientist was interviewed and arrested on Sunday after arriving on a flight from China, where she is pursuing an advanced degree at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. She planned to spend a year completing a project at the University of Michigan. Her shipments, including an envelope stuffed inside a book, were intercepted last year and earlier this year and opened by authorities, the FBI said. Advertisement The court filing does not indicate whether the FBI believes the biological material was dangerous, though US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jnr said smuggling 'threatens our security'.
CTV News
10 hours ago
- Science
- CTV News
U.S. reports another arrest of Chinese scientist with no permit to send biological material
This image provided by United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Michigan shows toxic plant pathogens that a Chinese scientist entered the U.S. last year stashed in his backpack, federal authorities said Tuesday, June 3, 2025, as they filed charges against him and a girlfriend who worked in a lab at the University of Michigan. (United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Michigan via AP) A DETROIT — A Chinese scientist was arrested while arriving in the U.S. at the Detroit airport, the second case in days involving the alleged smuggling of biological material, authorities said Monday. The scientist is accused of shipping biological material months ago to staff at a laboratory at the University of Michigan. The FBI, in a court filing, described it as material related to certain worms and requires a government permit. 'The guidelines for importing biological materials into the U.S. for research purposes are stringent, but clear, and actions like this undermine the legitimate work of other visiting scholars,' said John Nowak, who leads field operations at U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The scientist was interviewed and arrested Sunday after arriving on a flight from China, where she is pursuing an advanced degree at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. She planned to spend a year completing a project at the University of Michigan. Her shipments, including an envelope stuffed inside a book, were intercepted last year and earlier this year and opened by authorities, the FBI said. The court filing doesn't indicate whether the FBI believes the biological material was dangerous, though U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said smuggling 'threatens our security.' The government last week charged two Chinese scientists who are accused of conspiring to smuggle a toxic fungus into the U.S. One was turned around at the Detroit airport and sent back to China last year, while the other, a researcher at the University of Michigan, was arrested. She remains in custody. Ed White, The Associated Press
Fox News
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Judge takes step toward possible release of detained Russian Harvard scientist accused of smuggling
A federal judge in Vermont ruled in favor of a Russian Harvard scientist who was detained by ICE and accused of smuggling goods into the U.S. on Wednesday. Kseniia Petrova, 31, was first detained by ICE before being transferred to criminal custody earlier this month. Wednesday's ruling ensures that if she is granted bail and released at her criminal hearing next week, ICE cannot detain her once again. President Donald Trump's administration is seeking to deport Petrova back to Russia following her detention at Boston's Logan Airport in February. She has worked as a researcher at Harvard Medical School for more than two years, and colleagues at the school testified in her defense at Wednesday's hearing. Authorities charged Petrova with smuggling biological material after TSA at the airport allegedly found clawed frog embryos and embryonic samples in her luggage. The judge determined on Wednesday that Petrova is not a flight risk and does not pose any danger to the community. Her criminal bail hearing is set to take place next week in Massachusetts. The judge also noted that Petrova's work at Harvard has benefited the U.S., as her team is focused on cancer research. The U.S. Attorney's Office said that Petrova allegedly denied having the biological material at first but later admitted to carrying it. Prosecutors also claim that Petrova's text messages show that she was aware that she needed a permit to bring in the clawed frog embryos and embryonic samples that were allegedly found in her luggage. In one text message exchange cited by the office, Petrova was asked whether she had a plan to get the biological material into the U.S., and she allegedly responded by saying, "No plan yet. I won't be able to swallow them." Gregory Romanovsky, the attorney representing Petrova, argues that customs experts confirmed that his client "did not need a permit to bring her non-living scientific samples that are not considered biological material under U.S. Customs law." Petrova said in a recent New York Times op-ed that she was returning to the U.S. after vacationing in Paris when she was detained by ICE in February. She also expressed her fear of being arrested in Russia if deported, as she has been a critic of the war in Ukraine. While she admitted in the op-ed to not filling out a customs form regarding the frog embryos in her luggage, she believed it would result in a fine or warning, not an arrest. "At Logan International Airport, I did not complete a customs declaration for frog embryos (for use in our lab's research) in my luggage. I'm told this would normally result in a warning or a fine. Instead, my visa was revoked, and I was sent to a detention center in Louisiana," Petrova wrote.
