US arrests another Chinese scientist with no permit to send biological material

Another Chinese researcher has been arrested upon entering the United States, amid an escalating federal probe into the alleged smuggling of biological materials – marking the second such case in less than a week.

Han Chengxuan, a PhD candidate at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in Wuhan, was accused of shipping four undeclared packages containing biological materials from China to a University of Michigan lab—and lying to federal agents about it.

Her arrest on Sunday followed charges filed last Tuesday against Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu, also Chinese nationals affiliated with the University of Michigan, who allegedly attempted to smuggle a crop pathogen capable of causing widespread agricultural damage in the US.

Han, a student at HUST’s College of Life Science and Technology, was stopped by Customs and Border Protection officers on Sunday after landing at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on a J1 visa, according to a Department of Justice statement.

She allegedly made false statements to the officers before ultimately admitting to the FBI that she sent the packages, which contained “biological material related to round worms.” Investigators also found that her phone data had been wiped three days before her arrival, according to the statement.

University of Michigan students walk past campus buildings on State Street in September 2023 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Photo: Tribune News Service

Roundworms are slender, tube-shaped parasites. Ranging from microscopic to several inches long, they can cause serious infections in the intestines or tissues of humans and animals, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

South China Morning Post