In a joint investigation with US Customs and Border Protection, the FBI has charged two Chinese nationals with attempting to smuggle a fungus, that is devastating to crops and toxic to humans, into the United States. The fungus named Fusarium graminearum is so potentially dangerous that it is considered an agroterrorism agent.
FBI Director Kash Patel spoke to Fox News about the investigation.
"This case is a sobering reminder that the Chinese Communist Party continues to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply, an act that could cripple our economy and endanger American lives," Patel told Fox in a statement. "Smuggling a known agroterrorism agent into the U.S. is not just a violation of law, it’s a direct threat to national security. I commend the FBI Detroit Division and our partners at CBP for stopping this biological threat before it could do real damage."
US Attorney Jerome Gorgon said the pair, one of whom is a research fellow at the University of Michigan, has been charged with conspiracy and smuggling, among other charges.
University of Michigan research fellow Yunqing Jian and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu – both citizens of the People's Republic of China – have been charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan announced Tuesday. The investigation is being conducted by the FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Liu, 34, allegedly works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen, according to the complaint. Federal prosecutors say "he first lied" but then admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into the United States through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. His alleged goal was to conduct research on the pathogen at the laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked, according to court documents.
"The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals – including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party – are of the gravest national security concerns," U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said in a statement. "These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a ‘potential agroterrorism weapon’ into in the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme."
In wheat and other crops, the fungus causes a condition called 'Head Blight' which causes billions of damage worldwide each year. Toxins created by the fungus can cause nausea, vomiting, and liver damage in humans and livestock.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has indicated that Chinese students at American universities, especially those with connections to the CCP would soon have their visas revoked and be sent home.
With Chinese nationals smuggling potential bioweapons into the country, deporting them all seems to be the safest option.