The Justice Department announced the arrest of a Chinese national for allegedly smuggling biological materials into the United States and making false statements.

“Chengxuan HAN, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), was arrested and charged in a criminal complaint with smuggling goods into the United States and false statements,” a press release read.

According to the Justice Department, the biological material was associated with a laboratory at the University of Michigan.

Alien from Wuhan, China, Charged with Making False Statements and Smuggling Biological Materials into the U.S. for Her Work at a University of Michigan Laboratory https://t.co/qk9zAnPm0m

— U.S. Attorney EDMI (@USAO_MIE) June 9, 2025

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan:

According to the complaint, Han is a citizen of the PRC who is currently pursuing a Ph.D. from the College of Life Science and Technology in the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in Wuhan, PRC. In 2024 and 2025, Han sent four packages to the United States from the PRC containing concealed biological material. These packages were addressed to individuals associated with a laboratory at the University of Michigan. On June 8, 2025, Han arrived at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on a J1 visa. Customs and Border Protection officers conducted an inspection of Han, during which Han made false statements about the packages and the biological materials she had previously shipped to the United States. CBP officers also found that the content of Han’s electronic device had been deleted three days prior to her arrival in the United States. At the conclusion of the border inspection, Han was interviewed by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and ICE HSI. During this interview, Han admitted to sending the packages, admitted that the packages contained biological material related to round worms, and admitted to making false statements to the CBP officers during her inspection.

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The Justice Department last week charged two Chinese nationals with “conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud.”

DOJ: Chinese Nationals Charged For Allegedly Smuggling “Biological Pathogen” Into United States

Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, citizens of the People’s Republic of China, were accused of smuggling a “biological pathogen” into the United States for their work at a University of Michigan laboratory.

“The FBI arrested Jian in connection with allegations related to Jian’s and Liu’s smuggling into America a fungus called Fusarium graminearum, which scientific literature classifies as a potential agroterrorism weapon,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan stated.

“This noxious fungus causes ‘head blight,’ a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year. Fusarium graminearum’s toxins cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock,” it added.

Per CBS News:

Officials allege that Liu, who works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen, first lied but later admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum — a fungus classified by scientific literature as a potential agroterrorism weapon — into Detroit Metro Airport so that he could conduct research on it at a University of Michigan lab that Jian worked.

The FBI arrested Jain on June 3. Liu has since returned to China.

The Chinese Consulate General in Chicago issued the following statement on the charges:

We saw the news from U.S. media reports and are working on learning about the case through relevant channels. The Chinese Consulate General in Chicago has lodged a solemn démarche with the U.S. side on its law enforcement's failure to fulfill the relevant obligations stipulated in the China-U.S. Consular Convention.

The Chinese government has always required Chinese nationals overseas to strictly observe local laws and regulations, including the Entry and Exit regulations, while resolutely protecting their legitimate and lawful rights and interests in accordance with the law. China firmly opposes the U.S. side making political manipulation on related cases under the pretext of ideology and overstretched national security.

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Han will appear Monday afternoon in federal court in Detroit.