A Chinese national and Ph.D. student from Wuhan has been arrested and charged in the US for allegedly smuggling biological material related to parasitic roundworms and providing false information to federal authorities about the shipments.
Chengxuan Han, a researcher at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, was taken into custody by the FBI upon arrival at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on June 8. According to federal prosecutors, Han faces charges of smuggling goods into the US and making false statements — both felony offences.
“Yesterday, Detroit arrested a second Chinese national on charges of smuggling biological materials into the US and lying to federal agents,” wrote Kash Patel, FBI director on X (formerly Twitter). “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.”
Federal charging documents allege that Han sent four packages from China to contacts at a University of Michigan lab, each containing biological material related to roundworms — a classified material that requires special import permits under US law. One of the packages, authorities say, was concealed inside a book.
HAN ACCUSED OF LYING, WIPING DEVICE BEFORE ENTRY
Upon landing in Detroit, Han allegedly denied knowledge of the packages and failed to disclose their contents. Prosecutors also revealed that Han had erased data from her electronic devices just days before her arrival — a move investigators view as a deliberate attempt to obstruct the inquiry.
“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,” Patel noted.
“In a follow-up interview, Han admitted to sending the packages and lying about their contents.”
Authorities confirmed this case is part of a broader federal crackdown on illegal biological material trafficking by individuals with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), particularly those embedded in US academic institutions.
Han is now the third Chinese researcher in recent weeks to be charged in Michigan with similar allegations. Last week, Yunqing Jian, a University of Michigan researcher, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, were charged with smuggling a dangerous crop-destroying fungus into the US — a move the FBI described as “an attack on America’s food supply.”
“This case is part of a broader effort from the FBI and our federal partners to heavily crack down on similar pathogen smuggling operations, as the CCP works relentlessly to undermine America’s research institutions,” Patel wrote.
