Biosmuggling concerns escalated Friday after FBI Director Kash Patel announced charges against a post-doctoral researcher accused of illegally bringing E. coli into the United States. The biosmuggling case, Patel said, highlights a growing national security risk tied to foreign researchers abusing U.S. visas.
Patel identified the suspect as Youhuang Xiang, a post-doctoral researcher in the U.S. on a visa, charged with allegedly smuggling Escherichia coli and making false statements to authorities. Patel did not name the university involved. “This is yet another example of a researcher from China, given the privilege to work at a U.S. university, who then allegedly chose to take part in a scheme to circumvent U.S. laws and receive biological materials hidden in a package originating from China,” Patel wrote on X. He warned that “if not properly controlled, E. coli and other biological materials could inflict devastating disease to U.S. crops and cause significant financial loss to the U.S. economy.”
Patel praised the FBI’s Indianapolis and Chicago field offices and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, while urging universities to tighten oversight. “Ensure your researchers know that there is a correct and legal way to obtain a license to import/export approved biological materials, and it must be followed without exception,” he said.
The Xiang case follows similar prosecutions since the Trump administration’s January 2025 immigration crackdown. In November, the Justice Department charged three Chinese national scholars with conspiring to smuggle biological materials into the U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “Allegedly attempting to smuggle biological materials under the guise of ‘research’ is a serious crime that threatens America’s national and agricultural security.”
Authorities have also cited cases involving concealed roundworm materials and undeclared frog embryos. In one incident, the Department of Homeland Security stated, “The individual was lawfully detained after lying to federal officers about carrying substances into the country.”
Federal officials say the pattern underscores the need for vigilance as investigations continue.
