Overview

• Chengxuan Han, a PhD student at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, was arrested June 8 at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on charges of smuggling biological materials and making false statements.
• Han admitted to sending four packages in 2024 and 2025 containing biological material related to roundworms to contacts at a University of Michigan laboratory.
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered Han had deleted content from her electronic device three days before arrival and lied about the nature of her shipments during inspection.
• This case marks the second recent arrest of a Chinese national tied to the University of Michigan for alleged smuggling of potential pathogens, following a July 2024 attempt to import Fusarium graminearum.
• Federal officials warn that unauthorized imports of biological specimens threaten national security, public health and the integrity of American research institutions.