3 more Chinese nationals charged with smuggling biological materials into US

United States federal prosecutors have charged three Chinese nationals connected to the University of Michigan with allegedly attempting to smuggle biological materials into the country, expanding a case that began earlier this year.

According to a criminal complaint filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Xu Bai and Fengfan Zhang are facing conspiracy to smuggle charges, while Zhiyong Zhang is accused of making false statements, CBS News reported. The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations’ Detroit office as part of its National Security Global Trade group.

“At some point, pattern becomes practice. And, apparently, these three men are part of a long and alarming pattern of criminal activities committed by Chinese Nationals under the cover of the University of Michigan. This is a threat to our collective security. We are thankful for the vigilance of our elite federal partners — ICE HSI, FBI, and CBP — as a counterweight against this threat,” US Attorney Jerome Gorgon said in a statement.

The case stemmed from an earlier probe involving Chengxuan Han, a Chinese national arrested in June at Detroit Metro Airport. Han was accused of shipping undeclared biological materials to Michigan and pleaded no contest in September to multiple smuggling charges and lying to federal agents. She was sentenced to time served and deported to China on September 11.

Investigators said one of Han’s intercepted UPS shipments, inspected by US Customs and Border Protection in March this year, was addressed to Bai’s apartment in Ann Arbor. The package contained petri dishes with Caenorhabditis elegans, genetically modified roundworms often used in biological research.

Other parcels were sent to Ann Arbor addresses linked to the accused, including some meant for Fengfan Zhang but addressed to “Dylan Zhang”, according to the complaint.

Bai, 28, arrived in the US in August 2024, Fengfan Zhang, 27, came in September 2023 and Zhiyong Zhang, 30, in September 2021. All three lived in Ann Arbor and were enrolled as J-1 exchange scholars at the University of Michigan.

The affidavit noted that when Han was detained in June, Fengfan and Zhiyong Zhang were at the airport to pick her up. During questioning, Han initially denied knowing Bai or sending any shipments but later admitted to mailing between five and ten packages from China.

Following the arrests, the University of Michigan launched an internal inquiry. The three men named in the complaint “refused to cooperate” and were subsequently terminated, according to the affidavit. Their J-1 visa records were revoked on October 8, rendering them out of status and subject to removal.

After missing a scheduled flight to China on October 15, the trio booked new tickets from New York’s JFK Airport for the next day. They were detained there by Customs and Border Protection officers and taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division.

If convicted, Bai and Fengfan Zhang may face up to 20 years in prison for smuggling, while Zhiyong Zhang’s false statement charge can lead to a maximum sentence of five years.

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