Overview
- Federal prosecutors unsealed a criminal complaint on Tuesday, June 2, charging Vincent Munster and Claude Kwe with conspiracy to smuggle mpox into the United States and making false statements to border agents.
- Customs officers inspected the pair after their Jan. 25 arrival at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and found a black case that contained 113 vials packed in Styrofoam coolers.
- The FBI has tested 20 of the vials and reported that 17 contained deactivated mpox virus, one contained chickenpox virus, and two contained human DNA.
- The NIH says it is cooperating with investigators, activated internal biosafety protocols, secured affected lab spaces, and conducted audits while federal agencies continue laboratory work and the criminal probe.
- The charges raise questions about import permits, chain‑of‑custody rules and oversight at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory and could lead to prosecution, institutional audits, and policy reviews if violations are proven.