Khaberni - In a surprising move, the US authorities deported a Chinese researcher accused of smuggling dangerous fungi that cause severe damage to agricultural crops, after she admitted to committing a number of biological violations and lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Officials in the United States confirmed that Yunching Guan (33 years old), a former researcher at the University of Michigan, admitted last month to conspiring to smuggle a biological pathogen known as "Fusarium graminearum" or "Fumitoxin," aiming to continue researching it in the United States without obtaining the necessary permits, as reported by "New York Post".
The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Dan Bongino, stated on the "X" platform that Guan was deported after serving her prison sentence and concluding her service, confirming that she "admitted guilt in smuggling dangerous biological pathogens and then lying about it to the office agents".
Destructive fungi for essential crops
The smuggled fungi infect vast crops such as wheat, barley, corn, and rice with "head blight," leading to huge economic losses estimated between 200 to 400 million dollars annually in the United States.
The fungus carries a toxin known as "Fumitoxin," which causes vomiting in livestock and other health problems in humans, including diarrhea, fever, headaches, and stomach pains.
Joint plan
Authorities arrested Guan in June last year, after discovering her collaboration with her boyfriend Zong Yong Liu (34 years old), who tried to bring fungus samples inside his suitcase during a trip to the United States through Detroit airport, aiming to conduct joint research at the University of Michigan.
However, customs officials discovered a "suspicious red" plant material inside the suitcase, leading to his immediate denial of entry and his return to China.
Messages exchanged between the two in 2024 show that Guan was already working with the fungi inside the university lab before Liu's attempt to introduce it.
Chinese funding
According to the prosecution, Guan is a member of the Chinese Communist Party and was receiving funding from her country to study the fungi, but her lawyer, Norman Zalkind, downplayed the seriousness of the case, considering that the US authorities "exaggerated the case excessively".
He added: "This is not as serious a case as they portray it to be, they have made it more dangerous than it actually is."
According to judicial sources, similar charges have been brought against four other Chinese researchers in recent years for attempting to smuggle biological materials into the United States to conduct research at the University of Michigan, raising growing concerns about the security of scientific research and the protection of agricultural resources.
