U.S. Border Patrol has arrested a third Chinese national, they say was responsible for smuggling biological matter into the U.S., specifically nematodes.
The Chinese scientist was taken into custody at the Detroit airport. She is accused of sending biological materials to the University of Michigan, where she was going to study. The FBI says the package contained material related to nematodes and says shipments like that require a permit from the government.
This arrest comes just a week after another researcher at the University of Michigan was taken into custody on similar charges. The FBI says she and her boyfriend smuggled in a fungus that causes head blight in crops, also through the Detroit airport.
Related Stories
Herd rebuilding looks slow, keeping cattle prices supported; beef-on-dairy crosses help fill feedlots, while imports temper—but don’t erase—tightness.
“We believe that it is just a matter of days or weeks... before we see New World screwworm in Texas.”
The three-point plan was announced during remarks at the annual meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.