A Chinese doctoral student was arrested Sunday at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after allegedly attempting to smuggle undeclared biological materials into the United States and providing false information to federal officials.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) formally announced charges on Monday, marking the third case in just over a week involving Chinese researchers and suspicious biological shipments to the U.S.
Chengxuan Han, a Chinese national pursuing her Ph.D. at the College of Life Science and Technology at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, reportedly sent multiple packages containing biological substances related to roundworms to a University of Michigan laboratory ahead of her arrival on June 8.
Federal investigators say Han denied knowledge of the shipments when initially questioned by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
She later admitted to sending the packages, acknowledged that they contained biological material and confessed to providing false statements during the customs interview.
The FBI, CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are jointly investigating the matter, Just the News reports.
U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. issued a statement condemning the alleged activity.
“The alleged smuggling of biological materials by this alien from a science and technology university in Wuhan, China—to be used at