A scientist from Russia, previously affiliated with Harvard Medical School, has been accused of attempting to smuggle a frog embryo into the U.S., according to federal prosecutors.
Researcher Kseniia Petrova was apprehended at Boston’s international airport in February while carrying an embryo stash and has been held in a detention facility since then.
The 31-year-old had just returned from a trip to Paris and initially claimed she had nothing to declare when inspected by customs officials.
Customs agents reportedly found foam boxes in her duffel bags containing frog embryos, microcentrifugation tubes, and other biological samples.
While Petrova eventually acknowledged carrying biological materials, she argued that she didn’t believe it was necessary to declare them.
Text messages retrieved from her phone indicated she had received a warning from a colleague regarding the need to declare the items. One message noted, “If you return a sample or antibody, make sure you get such permission…” Another questioned her plans to get through customs with sensitive samples.
Petrova’s offhand response to her colleague included uncertainty about her plans, saying, “I don’t have plans yet. I can’t swallow them.”
Her research visa was revoked soon after her detention, and she is currently held in an immigration facility in Louisiana.
Beyond potential deportation, Petrova could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of smuggling contraband into the U.S.
Her attorney, Gregory Romanowsky, has fiercely criticized the charges, stating that they aim to portray her as a criminal to rationalize her deportation.
