ROMULUS, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Chinese citizen has been arrested and charged after federal investigators say she smuggled biological materials into the U.S. for her work at a University of Michigan laboratory, and lied about it to investigators.
Chengxuan Han is listed in the criminal complaint. Per that complaint, which you can read in full at the bottom of this article, Han sent four packages to the United States from Wuhan that contained biological material. The packages were addressed to individuals connected to a lab at U-M.
Han was arrested at Detroit Metro Airport on Sunday, with investigators saying she arrived on a J1 visa. She is being held in law enforcement custody. A detention hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
The feds say that Han made false statements to Customs and Border Protection Officers before ultimately admitting to the FBI that she sent the packages, which contained biological material related to roundworms.
The Department of Justice found that the content on Han's phone had been deleted three days before arriving in the U.S.
It should be noted that a criminal complaint is not evidence of guilt. Han awaits a trial as investigators determine whether or not to seek a federal indictment. The FBI, CBP, and ICE HSI are investigating the case.
“The alleged smuggling of biological materials by this alien from a science and technology university in Wuhan, China—to be used at a University of Michigan laboratory—is part of an alarming pattern that threatens our security. The American taxpayer should not be underwriting a PRC-based smuggling operation at one of our crucial public institutions," said United States Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. in a statement.
This is the second time this month that a Chinese national connected to biological pathogens and a U-M laboratory has been arrested by the FBI. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 34-year-old Zunyong Liu and 33-year-old Yunqing Jian smuggled in a fungus called Fusarium graminearum whose toxins can cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock.
It is unclear at this time whether these two cases are connected, and whether or not they are linked to the same U-M lab.
Watch our previous coverage: Feds accusing Chinese nationals of smuggling pathogen into U.S. for work at U-M
Han.complaint Filed by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
