US arrests Chinese scientist over illegal transfer of biological material

A Chinese scientist was arrested while arriving in the US at the Detroit airport, the second case in days involving the alleged smuggling of biological material, authorities said on Monday.

The scientist is accused of shipping biological material months ago to staff at a laboratory at the University of Michigan. The FBI, in a court filing, described it as material related to certain worms and requires a government permit.

"The guidelines for importing biological materials into the US for research purposes are stringent but clear, and actions like this undermine the legitimate work of other visiting scholars," said John Nowak, who leads field operations at US Customs and Border Protection.

The scientist was interviewed and arrested on Sunday after arriving on a flight from China, where she is pursuing an advanced degree at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. She planned to spend a year completing a project at the University of Michigan.

Her shipments, including an envelope stuffed inside a book, were intercepted last year and earlier this year and opened by authorities, the FBI said.

The court filing does not indicate whether the FBI believes the biological material was dangerous, though US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr said smuggling "threatens our security."  The government last week charged two Chinese scientists who are accused of conspiring to smuggle a toxic fungus into the US. One was turned around at the Detroit airport and sent back to China last year, while the other, a researcher at the University of Michigan, was arrested. She remains in custody.