DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – A Chinese national invited as a visiting scholar with the University of Michigan was arrested for smuggling biological material into the U.S.

Chengxuan Han was arrested at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport when she arrived June 8, 2025, according to a criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

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Han was refused her first U.S. visa on March 18, 2025 because she struggled to conduct the interview in English, a necessary condition of the visa, according to the document. Han could not answer basic questions about herself or her research.

Han reapplied a second time nine days later and it was noted she “spoke credibly about her educational background, current studies and post graduate plans.”

Han was listed as the sender of four packages from September 2024 to March 2025 that were “concealed or mis-manifested biological material” addressed to individuals associated with the U-M Professor Laboratory at the University of Michigan.

Han is a citizen of China who is pursuing a Ph.D. from the College of Life Science and Technology in the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China.

When Han arrived at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on June 8, she made false statements that she had not sent packages to members of the UM Lab. When pressed, she then admitted she had shipped the packages and they were plastic cups and a book. The items were petri dishes and an envelope with suspected biological materials concealed in the book. The FBI agent said that based on his experience, biological material is often hidden in a book while the book is declared but the biological material is not to conceal it from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. When pressed again by investigators, Han admitted she sent the packages containing nematode growth median, known as NBM.

Investigators also found that Han had deleted the contents of her electronic devices three days before her arrival in the U.S.

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Han’s offer letter from the University of Michigan states she was invited as a visiting scholar to the UM Lab. Han listed a U-M professor (not identified by the FBI) as her advisor at U-M.

“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 Gorgon, Jr. in a press release. “The American taxpayer should not be underwriting a PRC-based smuggling operation at one of our crucial public institutions.”

Earlier this month, Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, were charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud. U.S. attorneys said they tried to smuggle a dangerous fungus into the U.S. under the guise of their work at the University of Michigan.