- Han Chengxuan, a 28-year-old doctoral student from Wuhan, pleaded no contest to three smuggling charges and one count of making false statements after attempting to bring undeclared biological materials into the U.S. for research at the University of Michigan.
- Han shipped plasmids and petri dishes for cultivating organisms, often hiding them in books or mislabeling their contents. Customs agents intercepted four shipments; others were lost.
- Han initially denied knowledge of the shipments and later admitted to sending them. She also deleted data from her electronic devices before arrival in the United States.
- Han's sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 10. She faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
- Han is the third Chinese researcher charged in Michigan for smuggling biological materials. Two others, Yunqing Jian and her boyfriend Zunyong Liu, allegedly attempted to smuggle Fusarium graminearum, a crop-destroying pathogen classified as a potential agroterrorism threat.
A Chinese doctoral student accused of smuggling concealed biological materials into the United States has pleaded no contest to four federal charges.
On Aug. 22, Han Chengxuan, a 28-year-old doctoral candidate from Wuhan, China, admitted to three counts of smuggling and one count of making false statements to U.S. customs officials. Han, who studies at the College of Life Science and Technology at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, had traveled to the U.S. on a J-1 visa in June 2024 to begin a year-long research project at the University of Michigan.
Prosecutors said Han was behind multiple shipments of undeclared biological materials into the country, including DNA plasmids and petri dishes used for cultivating earthworms – materials that were intended for a University of Michigan (UMich) lab. U.S. customs agents intercepted four packages between September 2024 and March 2025. Several other packages Han admitted to sending were reportedly lost in transit.
According to a federal complaint filed at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, Han concealed materials in innocuous-seeming items such as books and misrepresented the contents of her shipments on customs forms. In one case, she described biological substances as being similar to ingredients found in "fruit jelly."
When questioned by border agents upon her arrival at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Han initially denied having sent anything into the country. She later changed her story when officers presented her with evidence of specific shipments.
In one intercepted package, authorities found an envelope hidden inside a book containing suspected biological substances. Han allegedly explained this as a "surprise" picture game for a former classmate now affiliated with the lab.
She also failed to disclose the inclusion of plasmids, genetic materials commonly used to engineer organisms, until pressed by investigators. Prosecutors said Han intentionally tried to deceive authorities, even deleting data from her devices three days before entering the country.
"UMich invited this Chinese national into our state to be a visiting scholar, where it was going to give her more than $41,000 in a year to do her worm research at the Life Sciences Institute," said Interim U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon. "Something is wrong in Ann Arbor."
Han's sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 10. If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison for smuggling charges and an additional five years for making false statements to federal officials.
Two other Chinese researchers charged in Michigan biotech smuggling case linked to CCP
Han is the third Chinese researcher to face federal charges in connection with smuggling biological materials for research in Michigan.
The two prior cases involved Yunqing Jian, another UMich visiting scholar at the University of Michigan, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, attempting to bring Fusarium graminearum, a powerful fungal pathogen, into the country. (Related: Chinese nationals charged with smuggling deadly crop fungus into U.S. in agroterrorism plot.)
F. graminearum, according to Brighteon.AI's Enoch, is commonly known for causing "head blight" in wheat and other staple crops. It is considered a high-risk biological agent, not only devastating yields of wheat, barley, maize and rice but also producing toxins that can harm livestock and humans.
Jian, an active and loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), holds a Ph.D. in plant pathology from Zhejiang University in China and allegedly received support from the Chinese government for her research. Meanwhile, her boyfriend Liu allegedly attempted to enter the U.S. through Detroit Metropolitan Airport on July 27, 2024, with concealed F. graminearum samples. During questioning by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, Liu claimed he was visiting Jian and planned to return to China to open a laboratory.
Although Liu denied carrying work materials, a secondary inspection of his luggage revealed suspicious items: Four plastic bags containing reddish plant material, a piece of filter paper marked with drawn circles and a tissue hiding a note written in Chinese. Initially, Liu denied knowledge of the items but later admitted to intentionally hiding them, acknowledging he was aware of the import restrictions.
Jian now faces multiple charges, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S., smuggling, making false statements and visa fraud. Liu, however, has since returned to China and is not currently in U.S. custody.
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Second University of Michigan scholar from China arrested for smuggling biological material.
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