Another figure linked to the University of Michigan — what’s going on behind the scenes?
A third Chinese researcher has been arrested in the United States for allegedly smuggling unauthorized biological materials, intensifying concerns over biosecurity and foreign interference in American research institutions.
The FBI revealed in a criminal complaint that on June 8, 2025, Chengxuan Han, a Ph.D. student from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, was detained at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Authorities allege Han previously mailed four packages containing biological materials related to roundworms to individuals affiliated with a University of Michigan laboratory between September 2024 and March 2025.
Upon arrival, Han initially denied sending the packages and falsely claimed they contained plastic cups. She later admitted to shipping the materials and to making false statements to federal officials. Investigators also found that Han had wiped data from her electronic device shortly before landing in the United States.
A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan provides additional details on the fallout:
According to the complaint, Han is a citizen of the PRC who is currently pursuing a Ph.D. from the College of Life Science and Technology in the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in Wuhan, PRC. In 2024 and 2025, Han sent four packages to the United States from the PRC containing concealed biological material. These packages were addressed to individuals associated with a laboratory at the University of Michigan. On June 8, 2025, Han arrived at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on a J1 visa. Customs and Border Protection officers conducted an inspection of Han, during which Han made false statements about the packages and the biological materials she had previously shipped to the United States. CBP officers also found that the content of Han’s electronic device had been deleted three days prior to her arrival in the United States. At the conclusion of the border inspection, Han was interviewed by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and ICE HSI. During this interview, Han admitted to sending the packages, admitted that the packages contained biological material related to round worms, and admitted to making false statements to the CBP officers during her inspection.
A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Trial cannot be held on felony charges in a complaint. When the investigation is completed, a determination will be made whether to seek a felony indictment.
United States Attorney Gorgon stated: “The alleged smuggling of biological materials by this alien from a science and technology university in Wuhan, China—to be used at a University of Michigan laboratory—is part of an alarming pattern that threatens our security. The American taxpayer should not be underwriting a PRC-based smuggling operation at one of our crucial public institutions.”
“The FBI has zero tolerance for those who violate federal law and remains unwavering in our mission to protect the American people,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “The alleged smuggling of biological materials by Chengxuan Han is a direct threat to public safety and national security, and it severely compromises the integrity of our nation’s research institutions. I applaud the relentless efforts of the FBI Detroit Counterintelligence Task Force, working in close coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations and ICE Homeland Security Investigations Detroit. The FBI in Michigan will aggressively pursue anyone who seeks to harm our country and will deploy every available resource to defend the United States and protect our communities.”
“The guidelines for importing biological materials into the U.S. for research purposes are stringent, but clear, and actions like this undermine the legitimate work of other visiting scholars,” said CBP Acting Director of Field Operations John Nowak. “We will not tolerate the smuggling of regulated biological materials through our ports of entry, and this interdiction is another recent example of our commitment—along with that of our law enforcement partners—to preventing potentially dangerous goods from harming the American people.”
“ICE HSI is proud to work with our partners at the FBI and CBP to keep Americans and Michiganders safe from biological threats,” said ICE HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey. “This case should serve as a reminder that multiple law enforcement agencies are working around the clock to provide for our shared national security from malicious foreign actors.”
The FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations division are investigating the case.
This incident marks the third such arrest within a week, highlighting growing concerns over the illegal transport of sensitive biological materials. Earlier, two other Chinese researchers, Jian Yunqing and her boyfriend, Liu Zunyong, were charged with smuggling Fusarium graminearum, a dangerous fungus, into the United States. The couple allegedly intended to study the fungus at the same University of Michigan lab. Jian has been arrested, while Liu was deported back to China.
According to the criminal complaint, Fusarium graminearum is classified as a potential agroterrorism weapon due to its ability to cause head blight in crops and produce toxins harmful to livestock and humans.
The University of Michigan has stated that it received no funding from the Chinese government related to the accused individuals’ research and is cooperating with federal authorities.
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I think anyone with fingerprints on the ability of this guy getting into our country needs the be charged and prosecuted.
People died because of actions like that and the management of the university knew what was going on.
Probe all Chinese in biolabs
Why isn’t the University Lab being shut down? It should be taped off and closed to make sure that none of this poison was being worked on in the lab withothers in the lab, before being found out.