Smuggling roundworms into University of Michigan lab; FBI arrests Chinese researcher
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Michigan: A Chinese national has been arrested in the United States for allegedly smuggling biological materials, including roundworms, into the University of Michigan laboratory, marking a significant development in an ongoing agroterrorism investigation involving foreign nationals.
Chengxuan Han, a PhD student at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, faces charges of smuggling and making false statements, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Federal investigators say that between 2024 and 2025, Han sent four packages from China to individuals associated with a University of Michigan lab. These packages contained hidden biological materials intended for use in scientific research.
Han arrived in the U.S. on June 8, 2025, at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on a J1 visa. During a customs inspection, she allegedly denied shipping any biological items and provided false information to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers. Authorities later discovered that Han’s electronic devices had been wiped clean just three days before her arrival.
Following the inspection, FBI agents interviewed Han, during which she admitted to sending the packages and confirmed they contained biological materials related to roundworms. She also acknowledged lying to border officials.
Han is scheduled to appear in federal court in Detroit on Monday.
U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., described the incident as part of a disturbing trend. “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,” he said. “The American taxpayer should not be underwriting a PRC-based smuggling operation at one of our crucial public institutions.”
The investigation is being conducted jointly by the FBI, CBP, and Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI). Officials say this case is linked to a broader probe into agroterrorism-related smuggling by Chinese researchers at U.S. universities.
In a separate but related incident, two other Chinese nationals were previously charged with smuggling Fusarium graminearum, a fungus that damages cereal crops and produces toxins harmful to both human and animal health. The pathogen is considered a potential agroterrorism threat due to its impact on agriculture and public safety.
