Overview

• Federal investigators allege that postdoctoral researcher Yunqing Jian conspired with scientist Zunyong Liu to smuggle the crop-threatening fungus Fusarium graminearum into the U.S. in 2022.
• Chengxuan Han admitted sending four undeclared packages containing roundworm-related biomaterials to a University of Michigan laboratory and making false statements to border officers.
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection found that Han’s electronic devices had been wiped three days before her June 8 arrival at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
• Both Han and Jian waived detention hearings on June 13 and will remain in federal custody pending further hearings later in June.
• FBI Director Kash Patel said the case is part of a broader effort to crack down on pathogen smuggling operations linked to the Chinese Communist Party.