Chengxuan Han, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, pleaded no contest to three counts of smuggling and one count of making false statements to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, according to an announcement from United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr.
The announcement was made in conjunction with officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Court documents indicate that Han is pursuing a Ph.D. at the College of Life Science and Technology at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China. In 2024 and 2025, she sent several packages containing concealed biological material from China to individuals connected with a laboratory at the University of Michigan. On June 8, 2025, Han arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on a J1 visa. During an inspection by CBP officers, Han made false statements about the packages and their contents. Officers also discovered that her electronic device had been wiped three days before her arrival.
After the border inspection, Han was interviewed by agents from the FBI and ICE HSI. She admitted to sending packages containing biological material related to round worms and acknowledged lying to CBP officers.
Han’s sentencing is set for September 10, 2025. The maximum penalty for smuggling goods into the United States is 20 years in prison; making false statements carries up to five years.
United States Attorney Gorgon stated: “This alien from Wuhan, China smuggled round worms and other biomaterials into our country on three separate occasions to circumvent our border protections. One of those times, she wrote that she was sending ‘a fun letter.’ The University of Michigan 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. Something is wrong in Ann Arbor.”
Reuben Coleman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office said: “Protecting the American people from threats, whether domestic or foreign, remains at the core of the FBI’s mission. Anyone who attempts to smuggle biological materials into our country not only puts themselves at risk but also endangers public safety and our national security. The FBI will continue to work closely with our partners to safeguard our nation’s institutions and communities.”
Director of Field Operations Marty C. Raybon commented: “The guidelines for importing biological materials into the U.S. for research purposes are stringent, but clear, and actions like this undermine the legitimate work of other visiting scholars. We will not tolerate the smuggling of regulated biological materials through our ports of entry, and this case is another example of our commitment—along with that of our law enforcement partners’—to protecting the homeland from any number of potential threats.”
ICE HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey added: “ICE HSI will not tolerate malicious foreign actors commandeering our educational institutions to further their schemes. As you can see, we are working across the spectrum of federal law enforcement to this end, and we will dedicate whatever resources necessary to secure the homeland.”
The investigation involved collaboration among FBI, CBP, and ICE HSI agencies.
