FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the agency has arrested a Chinese national accused of smuggling sensitive biological materials into the United States and lying to federal agents. As I previously reported, this is the second person arrested on charges of smuggling biological pathogens into the country.
Chengxuan Han, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), was arrested and charged in a criminal complaint with smuggling goods into the United States and false statements. HAN is pursuing a doctorate from the College of Life Science and Technology at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China. This is the second case involving the University of Michigan.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan, Han is accused of sending four packages to the U.S. in 2024 and 2025 that contained hidden biological materials related to roundworms. The packages were sent to individuals linked to a lab at the University of Michigan. She was arrested on Sunday after landing at Detroit Metro Airport on a J1 visa. During the inspection, officials found that she had lied about the packages and the nature of the materials she had previously shipped. Authorities also discovered that the electronic device she was carrying had its contents wiped three days before her arrival.
Yesterday, @FBIDetroit arrested a second Chinese national on charges of smuggling biological materials into the U.S. and lying to federal agents.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 9, 2025
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
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“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,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Jerome Gorgon Jr. said in a statement. “The American taxpayer should not be underwriting a PRC-based smuggling operation at one of our crucial public institutions.”
While being interviewed by the FBI and ICE, Han admitted that she had sent packages containing biological material. She also admitted to making false statements to CBP officers during her initial inspection.
Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, Cheyvoryea Gibson, emphasized the FBI’s firm stance against violations of federal law, especially those threatening national security, and condemned Han’s alleged smuggling of biological materials as a serious danger to public safety.
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