Another Chinese Scientist Arrested for Smuggling Biological Material Into the US

Just last week we had a pair of Chinese nationals charged with trying to smuggle a biological hazard into the US.

Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, citizens of the People’s Republic of China, were charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr...

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. 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.

Today, we're learning a third Chinese national has been arrested for another attempt to smuggle biological material into the US.

Yesterday, @FBIDetroit arrested a second Chinese national on charges of smuggling biological materials into the U.S. 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… pic.twitter.com/TE4tJgtJQi

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 9, 2025

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. 

Han is alleged to have sent four packages to the U.S. from China containing a biological material related to round worms — addressed to individuals associated with a lab at the University of Michigan. 

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.  

In a follow up interview with FBI and ICE HSI agents, Han admitted to sending the packages and lying about their contents. 

This case is part of a broader effort from the FBI and our federal partners to heavily crack down on similar pathogeon smuggling operations, as the CCP works relentlessly to undermine America’s research institutions.

At the moment no one seems to be saying these cases are connected though both of them involve Chinese nationals and the University of Michigan. The samples which Han sent to the university are not believed to be dangerous in this case.

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.

So maybe not as dangerous as the incident revealed last week but still you have to wonder why this person erased her phone three days before traveling to the US. That really does seem suspicious. Also, Han had been denied entry twice in March.

Han was denied a visa to travel to the US on two separate occasions in March. In one of her attempts to obtain a visa, Han “could not clearly answer basic questions about herself or her research,” according to court documents.

An offer letter from the University of Michigan stated that Han was invited to be a visiting scholar at the lab.

The University of Michigan probably needs to clean up these laboratories and make sure there are no more CCP members working under their noses. At this point, there is every reason to think China sees us as an adversary they would like to bring down by any means necessary, including by contributing directly to the murder of Americans. Here's a bit of what FBI Director Patel said about the CCP's connection to the fentanyl trade last week.

JUST IN: FBI Director Kash Patel lights up a cigar after explaining how he's taking on the Chinese Communist Party to end the Fentanyl crisis.

🔥🔥🔥

"The CCP's long-term game is this: 'How do I kneecap the United States of America, our largest adversary?'"

"When you wipe out… pic.twitter.com/hgmfWBc0JG

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 6, 2025