Overview
- Chengxuan Han, a Ph.D. candidate at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, is charged with smuggling goods into the U.S. and making false statements after allegedly attempting to import roundworm-related biological samples without a permit.
- She remains in federal custody pending a June bond hearing in Detroit.
- Federal court documents allege Han sent four concealed packages containing biological material to a University of Michigan laboratory between September 2024 and March 2025.
- Customs officers discovered that Han wiped her electronic device shortly before departure, and she later admitted in an FBI interview to lying about the contents of the shipments.
- Han’s arrest marks the third recent case involving Chinese nationals tied to the University of Michigan charged with unpermitted pathogen smuggling, prompting a joint investigation by DOJ, FBI, CBP and ICE HSI into broader national security risks.