DOJ charges two Chinese nationals with smuggling 'potential agroterrorism' fungus into US

The Justice Department on Tuesday charged two Chinese researchers with attempting to smuggle a fungus dubbed "Fusarium graminearum," into the U.S. which it claimed scientific research "classifies as a potential agroterrorism weapon."

The two researchers, identified as 33-year-old Yunqing Jian and 34-year-old Zunyong Liu, were allegedly receiving funding from the Chinese government for their research, and were allegedly citizens of the People's Republic of China (PRC).

The pair, who were supposedly dating, allegedly lied to U.S. officials about the fungus in Detroit last year, with Liu stating he did not know how the material ended up in his luggage. He later admitted to putting it in his bag and wrapping it carefully to avoid detection because he knew it was restricted, the department said, per ABC News.

“The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals -- including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party -- are of the gravest national security concerns," U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgan said in a statement. "These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a ‘potential agroterrorism weapon’ into in the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme."

Jian has also been accused of lying to officials, and her electronics allegedly contained information describing her membership in and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. She was also researching the pathogen. 

The FBI said the fungus causes “head blight,” a disease of wheat, barley, maize and rice, and is responsible for billions of dollars in global economic losses each year.

FBI Director Kash Patel also sounded the alarm in response to the charges, claiming it demonstrated a serious national security threat to the U.S. food supply. 

"This case is a sobering reminder that the Chinese Communist Party continues to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply, an act that could cripple our economy and endanger American lives," Patel told Fox News. "Smuggling a known agroterrorism agent into the U.S. is not just a violation of law, it’s a direct threat to national security. I commend the FBI Detroit Division and our partners at CBP for stopping this biological threat before it could do real damage."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.