Two Chinese Nationals Charged for Smuggling Agroterrorism-Linked Pathogen into U.S.

Federal law enforcement officials announced Tuesday that two Chinese nationals have been charged with smuggling a biological pathogen classified as a “potential agroterrorism weapon” into the United States while working at the University of Michigan.

According to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, 33-year-old Yunqing Jian and 34-year-old Zunyong Liu face charges including smuggling goods into the United States, conspiracy, visa fraud, and making false statements. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Jian amid allegations that both individuals brought Fusarium graminearum, a dangerous fungus, into the country.

The biological pathogen, described as a significant threat to agriculture, causes “head blight,” a disease that affects wheat, barley, maize, and rice, leading to billions of dollars in global economic losses annually. The fungus produces toxins that can cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in both humans and livestock.

FBI Director Kash Patel, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), emphasized the gravity of the situation, calling it a “sobering reminder that the CCP is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply, which would have grave consequences… putting American lives and our economy at serious risk.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that Jian’s research on the pathogen in China was funded by the Chinese government. Electronic devices seized from Jian allegedly provided evidence of her membership in and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. Liu, also a researcher of the same pathogen at a Chinese university, initially lied but later admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into the United States via Detroit Metropolitan Airport, reportedly for further research at the University of Michigan.

U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. highlighted the national security concerns raised by the case, stating, “The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals—including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party—are of the gravest national security concerns. These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a ‘potential agroterrorism weapon’ into the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme.”