Two Chinese nationals have been arrested in the US for allegedly smuggling a dangerous crop-damaging fungus into the country, FBI Director Kash Patel said. The pathogen, which affects key grains like wheat and rice, poses a serious threat to food security.
read more
Two Chinese nationals have been arrested in the US for allegedly smuggling a highly dangerous agricultural pathogen into the country.
Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, both Chinese citizens, have been charged with conspiracy, smuggling, making false statements, and visa fraud, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
“New… I can confirm that the FBI arrested a Chinese national within the United States who allegedly smuggled a dangerous biological pathogen into the country,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
New… I can confirm that the FBI arrested a Chinese national within the United States who allegedly smuggled a dangerous biological pathogen into the country.
The individual, Yunqing Jian, is alleged to have smuggled a dangerous fungus called “Fusarium graminearum,” which is an…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 3, 2025
Patel said, “The individual, Yunqing Jian, is alleged to have smuggled a dangerous fungus called ‘Fusarium graminearum,’