US arrests another Chinese scientist for ‘smuggling illegal biological material’

US authorities arrested another Chinese scientist for allegedly smuggling illegal biological material. She was arrested on Sunday after landing at the Detroit Metropolitan airport on a flight from Shanghai, according to charging documents.

The scientist, Chengxuan Han, was charged with smuggling goods into the US and making false statements. She was 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.

Han is a Chinese scientist to be charged with smuggling illegal biological materials into Michigan. She is undertaking an advanced degree at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan and planned to spend a year accomplishing a project at the University of Michigan.

FBI Director Kash Patel speaks out

“Yesterday, Detroit arrested a second Chinese national on charges of smuggling biological materials into the US and lying to federal agents. This individual is Chengxuan Han, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China and a Ph.D. student in Wuhan, China. Han is the third PRC-connected individual charged on similar allegations in recent days,” Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel said, adding, “Upon arriving at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on June 8, Han allegedly made false statements to federal officials regarding the packages she had previously mailed -- and had erased her electronic device just days prior.”

Last week, the government charged two Chinese scientists with conspiring to smuggle a toxic fungus into the United States. One was denied entry at Detroit airport and sent back to China last year, while the other, a University of Michigan researcher, was arrested and remains in custody.

"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," John Nowak, who heads field operations at US Customs and Border Protection, said.

According to the FBI, authorities intercepted and opened her shipments, comprising an envelope hidden inside a book, both last year and earlier this year. The court documents do not specify whether the FBI considers the biological material to be hazardous. However, US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. stated that the smuggling attempt “threatens our security".

(With inputs from AP)