Second Incident Following Toxic Mold Smuggling Case
FBI: "Related to Worm Species... Government Authorization Required"
U.S. Federal Prosecutor: "Threat to National Security"
A Chinese scientist has been arrested on charges of attempting to smuggle experimental worms into the United States by hiding them inside a book. This marks the second recent case following the indictment of another Chinese scientist who tried to enter the U.S. with toxic mold concealed in their belongings.
According to the Associated Press and the Hong Kong daily South China Morning Post (SCMP), on June 9 (local time), U.S. authorities announced the arrest of Han Chengxuan at Detroit Airport on charges of smuggling biological materials. Han was attempting to enter the U.S. on a flight from China.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Jerome Gordon Jr. said, "The allegation that a foreign national from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, smuggled biological materials into a University of Michigan laboratory appears to be part of a serious pattern that threatens our national security."
Han Chengxuan is accused of sending biological materials to University of Michigan laboratory staff last year and earlier this year. Han had originally planned to conduct a one-year project at the University of Michigan, but is currently in custody and is scheduled for a bail hearing on June 11.
U.S. authorities intercepted and opened four undeclared packages sent by Han Chengxuan, one of which was hidden inside an envelope tucked into a book. In documents submitted to the court, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) explained that the material was related to a specific type of worm and that government authorization is required to bring such materials into the U.S. However, the FBI did not make a determination regarding the potential danger of the material.
John Nowak of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told the Associated Press, "There are strict but clear guidelines for bringing biological materials into the United States for research purposes," adding, "Such actions negatively impact the legitimate research of other visiting scholars."
Meanwhile, U.S. authorities also indicted two Chinese scientists last week on charges of smuggling biological materials. On June 3, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan charged Zhen Yunqing and his partner Liu Junyong with attempting to smuggle toxic mold from China into the United States. Zhen, a researcher at the University of Michigan, is currently in custody, while Liu, a researcher at a university in China, is reportedly unaccounted for.
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