Here it is:
Liu: "Teacher Liang’s seeds must be placed well."
Jian: "Where to put it? I only have one pair of shoes. The insole cannot be pulled off."
Liu: "Did you bring just one pair of shoes?"
Jian: "3 pair, wear one pair."
Liu: "Where did the seeds get put? In the tube?"
Jian: "I put them in my Martin boots… in a small bag. The ziplock bag. Very small."
Liu: "That’s good…Just put it in your shoes."
Jian: "I stuffed them in the shoes."
According to the affidavit, “Jian has been attempting to smuggle the pathogen into the U.S. since she began post-doctoral studies funded by China in 2022, also accuses Jian of asking a third party to send her Fusarium graminearum in January 2024.” This third party hid the samples in a textbook. Thankfully, the package was intercepted before it made it to Jian.
Then, on June 8, just days after the public learned about the above arrests, another case hit the headlines. A PhD student from Wuhan, Chengxuan Han, arrived at the same airport and was arrested.
Here’s what happened according to FBI Director Kash Patel’s statement:
“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 PRC connected individual charged on similar allegations in recent days. Han is alleged to have sent four packages to the U.S. from China containing a biological material related to round worms – addressed to individuals associated with a lab at the University of Michigan.
Upon arriving at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on June 8, Han allegedly made false statements to federal officials regarding the packages she had previously mailed – and had erased her electronic device just days prior. In a follow up interview with FBI and ICE HSI agents, Han admitted to sending the packages and lying about their contents.”