Overview

• On June 25, a Boston federal grand jury charged Kseniia Petrova with one count each of smuggling goods, concealment of a material fact and making a false statement.
• Customs and Border Protection agents at Logan International Airport stopped Petrova in February after a law enforcement canine flagged undeclared frog embryos and embryonic samples in her checked luggage.
• Prosecutors cited text messages from Petrova’s phone indicating she knew she was required to declare the biological materials upon entry.
• Her visa was canceled following the airport inspection and she spent nearly four months in ICE custody before a federal judge ordered her release on personal recognizance.
• Academic institutions and human rights advocates have raised concerns that the case reflects harsh immigration enforcement that could deter international research collaboration.