national Chengxuan Han (韩承轩) has been arrested and charged in a criminal complaint with smuggling goods into the US and false statements.
Han is currently pursuing a PhD at the College of Life Science and Technology of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in Wuhan. During Sep 2024 - Mar 2025, Han sent four packages to the US from China containing concealed biological material. These packages were addressed to individuals associated with a laboratory at the University of Michigan.
On June 8, Han arrived at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport from Shanghai 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 US. CBP officers also found that the content of Han’s electronic device had been deleted three days prior to her arrival in the US.
Han initially denied sending the packages to members of the UM lab, but when pressed, admitted to shipping them, with the materials from her research lab at the Chinese university.
Han told customs officers the packages were plastic cups, instead of petri dishes, and a book "(omitting the envelope with suspected biological materials concealed in it)".
At the conclusion of the border inspection, Han was interviewed by agents from the FBI and ICE HSI.
She then admitted sending packages containing "nematode growth medium (NGM) (in the petri dishes) and plasmids (in the envelope)”. In the filing, the FBI agent wrote that it was unlikely the petri dishes solely contained NGM, which is used to cultivate nematode worms in lab settings, because it is readily available and inexpensive in the US.
Han also admitted to making false statements to the CBP officers during her inspection.
justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/a
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