A Chinese national, Chengxuan Han, was arrested for allegedly smuggling biological materials into the United States and providing false information to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials regarding her package contents. The Justice Department has charged Han with these offenses.
According to legal documents, Han is a doctoral student from Huatu Hong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. Between 2024 and 2025, she reportedly sent four packages to a recipient at the University of Michigan Institute.
Han arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on a J1 visa. During inspections, she is said to have misled officers about the package and the materials she had shipped prior. Later, an agent from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) interviewed her, where she confessed that her package contained materials pertaining to roundworms. Additionally, she admitted to lying to CBP officers.
Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon commented on the case, emphasizing the implications of smuggling biological materials and calling it a serious threat to safety. He urged that taxpayers should not have to deal with smuggling operations linked to another country at significant US institutions.
On the same day as Han’s arrest, another Chinese citizen named Shenghua Wen, 42, pleaded guilty to federal charges related to exporting firearms and military items to North Korea. Wen arrived in the U.S. in 2012 on a student visa, which expired in 2013.
Before coming to the U.S., Wen allegedly met with North Korean officials in China, who instructed him to procure goods for the North Korean government. According to the Department of Justice, Wen maintained contact with these officials even years later, with messages urging him to smuggle firearms and technology from China to the U.S. for the benefit of North Korea.
Wen is reported to have shipped at least three firearms from California to North Korea in 2023, disguising the contents and using funds provided by North Korean contacts to finance his operations. His plans included a shipment of 60,000 rounds of ammunition, as requested by North Korean officials, along with advanced technology for identification of chemical threats.
The DOJ noted that North Korean officials had wired approximately $2 million to Wen during these operations. He acknowledged his awareness of the illegality of shipping items to North Korea without the proper licenses and confessed to working under the instructions of North Korean officials.
If found guilty, Wen could face a maximum of 20 years in prison and an additional 10 years for acting as an illegal agent for a foreign government. His sentencing is set for August 18th.
