Inside Story of the Chinese Scholar Arrested for Smuggling Crop-Killing Fungus in the US | Facts Matter

On June 3, federal agents arrested a Chinese researcher who was working at the University of Michigan.

The scholar was allegedly part of a scheme to smuggle a biological pathogen into the United States.

Specifically, she and her boyfriend were allegedly trying to smuggle in a type of fungus that can be used to target food crops here in America (such as wheat, barley, and rice). This particular fungus would have the effect of absolutely decimating these crops. In fact, the feds characterized this alleged plot as a form of “agroterrorism,” or agricultural terrorism.

Furthermore, after looking into it, it turns out that this latest incident doesn’t appear to be the couple’s first time smuggling in viral pathogens.

Now that the FBI’s indictment has been unsealed in federal court, let’s go through the details of it together.