by Steven Richards at Just the News
Justice Department indictment alleges couple was involved in previous smuggling incidents before attempting to bring potentially dangerous fungus into the United States.
The Chinese scientists indicted for smuggling a potentially dangerous fungus into the United States smuggled other biological material by hiding it in a pair of boots on at least one prior occasion, the criminal complaint filed against the couple shows.
The pair of Chinese-born researchers, Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, were charged this week in connection to allegations that they smuggled a fungus called Fusarium graminearum into the United States in 2024. That fungus is classified in scientific literature as a “potential agroterrorism weapon,” according to the Justice Department.
But, the government laid out evidence in the indictment that Jian and Liu collaborated in August 2022 to smuggle unknown seeds into the United States, according to messages between the pair on the Chinese messaging application WeChat.
“Teacher Liang’s seeds must be placed well,” Liu wrote to Jian.
“Where to put it? I only have one pair of shoes. The insole cannot be pulled off,” she replied.
“Where did the seeds get put? In the tube?” Liu asked later.
“I put them in my Martin boots… in a small bag. The ziplock bag. Very small,” Jian said.
The Chinese scientists indicted for smuggling a potentially dangerous fungus into the United States smuggled other biological material by hiding it in a pair of boots on at least one prior occasion, the criminal complaint filed against the couple shows.
The pair of Chinese-born researchers, Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, were charged this week in connection to allegations that they smuggled a fungus called Fusarium graminearum into the United States in 2024. That fungus is classified in scientific literature as a “potential agroterrorism weapon,” according to the Justice Department.
But, the government laid out evidence in the indictment that Jian and Liu collaborated in August 2022 to smuggle unknown seeds into the United States, according to messages between the pair on the Chinese messaging application WeChat.
“Teacher Liang’s seeds must be placed well,” Liu wrote to Jian.
“Where to put it? I only have one pair of shoes. The insole cannot be pulled off,” she replied.
“Where did the seeds get put? In the tube?” Liu asked later.
“I put them in my Martin boots… in a small bag. The ziplock bag. Very small,” Jian said.
“I stuffed them in the shoes,” she added later.
You can read the indictment below:
Customs and Border Patrol records show Jian entered the country via a flight from Seoul, South Korea, to San Francisco International Airport. The records show that Jian did not declare any biological materials at customs, according to the indictment.
Both Jian and Liu were charged on Tuesday…..