Another Chinese National Busted Allegedly Smuggling Bio-Materials To University Of Michigan Lab

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Monday that it has apprehended a University of Michigan (U-M) scholar from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for allegedly smuggling biological materials into the U.S.

Chengxuan Han, a Chinese national affiliated with U-M, is accused of sending multiple packages containing biological materials to a university laboratory and lying to federal officials about the matter, according to the DOJ. Han is the second Chinese national linked to U-M in two weeks to be hit with federal charges related to alleged smuggling of biological materials.

“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,” U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said.

Han is pursuing a Ph.D. at the College of Life Science and Technology at Huazhong University in Wuhan and was invited to U-M as a visiting scholar, according to the DOJ. Between 2024 and 2025, Han allegedly mailed four packages containing biological materials to the U.S.

“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.”

During a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspection at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on June 8, Han allegedly provided false statements about sending packages containing biological material, according to the DOJ’s press release. Authorities also discovered her electronic device had been wiped three days prior.