US charges Chinese postdoctoral researcher on visa with smuggling E. coli, FBI says

WASHINGTON — A post-doctoral researcher on a U.S. visa was charged with allegedly smuggling Escherichia coli into the United States and making false statements about the shipments, FBI Director Kash Patel said Friday. The individual was identified as Youhuang Xiang, though the university involved was not named publicly.

Patel, speaking on social media, described the case as another example of a researcher from China who, despite being allowed to work at a U.S. university, allegedly sought to circumvent U.S. import laws to obtain biological materials hidden in a package originating from China. He warned that if such materials are not properly controlled, E. coli and other biological agents could inflict devastating disease on U.S. crops and cause significant financial losses to the economy. Patel commended the FBI field offices in Indianapolis and Chicago and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their work on the case, and he urged universities to ensure that researchers follow the correct and legal licensing processes to import or export approved biological materials.

This case comes amid a broader pattern of visa holders facing penalties for attempting to smuggle biological materials under the guise of research. In November, the Justice Department announced charges against three Chinese nationals—Xu Bai, 28; Fengfan Zhang, 27; and Zhiyong Zhang, 30—accused of conspiring to import biological materials into the United States while working at a university laboratory. The defendants allegedly received multiple shipments of concealed materials related to roundworms from a Chinese Ph.D. student in Wuhan, Chengxuan Han. Han had previously worked at the university and was convicted of smuggling and making false statements connected to the shipments. The cases underscored ongoing scrutiny of foreign nationals participating in U.S. research programs and the strict licensing requirements for import/export of biological materials.

Separately, Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born scientist and Harvard University cancer researcher, faced a different enforcement action at Boston’s Logan International Airport in February for allegedly attempting to smuggle frog embryos. Her attorney said the embryos were brought from Paris at the request of a French lab collaborating with Harvard, and that Petrova did not realize she needed to declare them. Homeland Security officials said Petrova lied to federal officers about carrying substances into the country, and a subsequent canine inspection revealed undeclared petri dishes, containers of unknown substances, and loose vials of embryonic frog cells; Petrova was released from federal custody in June. These incidents illustrate the ongoing tension between international scientific collaboration and national-security screening.

Attorney General Pam Bondi described the smuggling allegations as a serious crime that threatens national and agricultural security. The cases reflect a continuing emphasis on ensuring that visa holders and researchers comply with U.S. laws governing the import and export of biological materials. While authorities have not disclosed the names of all institutions involved in every case, officials have stressed that licensing and proper declaration procedures are mandatory for anyone handling regulated biological materials.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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