Chinese PhD student charged in US for smuggling biological materials, making false statements

MICHIGAN: Chengxuan Han, a People’s Republic of China (PRC) citizen, was arrested and charged in a criminal complaint for smuggling commodities into the United States and making false claims, according to a release from the US Attorney’s Office. The FBI, CBP and ICE HSI are investigating this case.

US Attorney Jerome F Gorgon, Jr was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in charge, Cheyvoryea Gibson, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Detroit Division, Acting Director of Field Operations John Nowak of US Customs and Border Protection, and Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit field office, according to a US Attorney Office release.

Yesterday, @FBIDetroit arrested a second Chinese national on charges of smuggling biological materials into the U.S. and lying to federal agents.

This individual is Chengxuan Han, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China and a Ph.D. student in Wuhan, China. Han is the third… pic.twitter.com/TE4tJgtJQi

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 9, 2025

“According to the complaint, Han is a citizen of the PRC who is currently pursuing a PhD from the College of Life Science and Technology in 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 before she arrived in the United States.

“After 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 roundworms, and admitted to making false statements to the CBP officers during her inspection,” said the release.

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”, as quoted by the release.

“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 the US 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,” stated the release. (ANI)