A Chinese scientist has been arrested at Detroit Airport, Michigan (USA) on charges of smuggling biological materials when he just arrived in the country after a flight departing from China.
According to information from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, the incident occurred on June 8 and the arrested person is being held pending a hearing scheduled for June 11.
In the filing, the FBI said the Bios samples seized involved some worm species and required a special US government license to import them. However, this woman could not present any type of license.
A few months earlier, he was also suspected of transferring biological materials to an employee at the University of Michigan laboratory. This person is studying for an advanced degree program at Hoa Trung University of Science and Technology in Vu Han city and plans to complete a 1-year project at the University of Michigan.
Although the FBI has not released whether the biological samples are endangered, prosecutor Jerome Gorgon Jr. in Detroit said that such smuggling is a serious threat to security.
According to the FBI, the regulation on importing biological materials into the US for research is very strict and violations will undermine the legal efforts of the academic community.
Also last week, the US government prosecuted two Chinese scientists for plotting to smuggle a poison mushroom. One is currently in prison, the other has returned to China since last year.
