Wuhan, Hubei scientist Chengxuan Han arrested in Romulus, Michigan

Chengxuan Han (韩成轩), a citizen of China, was recently arrested in Romulus, Wayne County, Michigan, United States. Authorities did not release her age.

Han is a scientist currently pursuing a PhD at the College of Life Science and Technology of the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (华中科技大学) in Wuhan, Hubei, China. Established in 2000, the university is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (中华人民共和国教育部). 

On October 30, 2009, Wuhan established a friendly exchange relationship with Columbus, Ohio, USA, which is around 190 miles away from Romulus, Michigan, USA. In 2017, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Wuhan as a creative city.

Yesterday, @FBIDetroit arrested a second Chinese national on charges of smuggling biological materials into the U.S. and lying to federal agents.

This individual is Chengxuan Han, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China and a Ph.D. student in Wuhan, China. Han is the third… pic.twitter.com/TE4tJgtJQi

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 9, 2025

Chengxuan Han

In 2024 and 2025, Han sent four packages from China to the U.S. The packages, which contained concealed biological material, were addressed to individuals associated with a laboratory at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which is around 23 miles away from Romulus.

On June 8, 2025, Han arrived on a J1 visa at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus where she was arrested. Three days before arriving in the country, the content of her electronic device was deleted, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers found out.

When CBP officers conducted an inspection of Han, she made false statements about the packages and the biological materials she had previously shipped to the U.S. She later admitted to sending the packages when she was interviewed by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Han told the agents the packages contained biological material related to round worms. She also admitted to making false statements to the CBP officers during her inspection.

The Huazhong University of Science and Technology student was charged with smuggling goods into the U.S. and making false statements. Her arrest was announced by U.S. attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr.