(The Center Square) – The FBI has arrested Chengxuan Han, a graduate student from China, on charges of smuggling goods into the United States and making false statements.
This is the third arrest in Michigan of a person from China with connections to the University of Michigan.
Last week, the FBI arrested Yunqing Jian, a graduate student at the University of Michigan, and her boyfriend for similar charges.
Authorities called this an “alarming pattern.”
“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,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. “The American taxpayer should not be underwriting a PRC-based smuggling operation at one of our crucial public institutions.”
According to the criminal complaint, Han is a Chinese citizen pursuing a Ph.D. from the College of Life Science and Technology in the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China.
She is accused of sending four packages, in 2024 and 2025, to the U.S. that contained “contained biological material related to round worms.” Those packages were addressed to individuals associated with a laboratory at the University of Michigan.
Han was arrested after flying into the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Sunday. When authorities interviewed her about those packages she had previously sent, Han allegedly lied about their contents. In a follow-up interview, Han admitted to the charges.
The arrest was first announced on Monday. FBI Director Kash Patel addressed it on social media.
“Han is the third PRC connected individual charged on similar allegations in recent days,” Patel said. “This case is part of a broader effort from the FBI and our federal partners to heavily crack down on similar pathogen smuggling operations, as the CCP works relentlessly to undermine America’s research institutions.”
Han was visiting the U.S. on a J-1 visa, which allows people who are not citizens to come to the country temporarily to participate in a sponsored educational or cultural exchange program.
The FBI Detroit Counterintelligence Task Force and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are partnering together to investigate the crimes.
“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.”
This is just the latest incident as concerns over Chinese influence in the United States continue to grow.
In the last few months, legislation has been proposed both in Congress and the Michigan House of Representatives to curtail the relationship between American universities and foreign countries. The federal legislation would ban visas for students from China, while the Michigan legislation would prohibit Michigan colleges from certain foreign partnerships.
