{"id":2443061,"date":"2025-06-04T22:35:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T02:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/agroterrorism-fungus-was-first-smuggled-into-us-in-2022-inside-chinese-nationals-boots-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-06-04T22:36:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T02:36:14","slug":"agroterrorism-fungus-was-first-smuggled-into-us-in-2022-inside-chinese-nationals-boots-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/agroterrorism-fungus-was-first-smuggled-into-us-in-2022-inside-chinese-nationals-boots-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Agroterrorism\u2019 fungus was first smuggled into US in 2022 inside Chinese national\u2019s boots &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fagroterrorism-fungus-was-first-smuggled-into-us-in-2022-inside-chinese-nationals-boots-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2443061&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Two Chinese nationals, Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu, who are researchers at the University of Michigan, have been charged with smuggling a risky fungus, *Fusarium graminearum*, into the United States, potentially as part of an act of agroterrorism. The smuggling operation began in August 2022 when Liu directed Jian to conceal the fungus within her boots. The fungus is considered a important threat to agriculture, causing billions in losses and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/americans-charged-for-new-covid-19-vaccine-despite-insurance\/\" title=\"Americans billed for COVID-19 vaccine despite having insurance.\">posing health risks<\/a> to humans and livestock.<\/p>\n<p>Liu later attempted to send the fungus thru a statistics book, but the package was intercepted. The U.S. authorities have stated that these activities pose a serious risk to public safety. The FBI and Customs and Border Protection were involved in the investigation leading to their arrest. Both the Chinese government and the University of Michigan have denied any involvement or support of the alleged smuggling act.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">&lsquo;Agroterrorism&rsquo; fungus was first smuggled into US in 2022 inside Chinese national&rsquo;s boots<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2135335\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Chinese\">Chinese<\/a> nationals accused of smuggling a dangerous fungus into the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/united-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"U.S.\">United States<\/a> in a possible act of &ldquo;agroterrorism&rdquo; began doing so in 2022, according to an affidavit.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. charged Chinese citizens and Michigan University researchers Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the U.S., false statements, and visa fraud, the <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/doj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Department of Justice<\/a> announced. The duo smuggled <em>Fusarium graminearum<\/em>, a fungus the DOJ notes is classified by scientific literature as a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-chinese-nationals-smuggled-dangerous-biological-pathogen-into-us-that-could-kill-our-crops-poison-americans\/\" title=\"DOJ: ... ... &#039;Dangerous Biological Pathogen&#039; Into US That Could Kill Our Crops, Poison Americans\">potential agroterrorism weapon<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3431695\/legacy-media-rock-bottom-basement-boulder-coverage-joe-concha\/\">Legacy media&#8217;s &#8216;rock bottom has a basement&#8217; with Boulder attack coverage: Joe Concha<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3431653\/federal-judge-halts-deportation-boulder-attack-suspect-family-soliman\/\">Federal judge halts deportation of Boulder firebombing attack suspect&#8217;s family<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3431053\/house-investigation-immigration-history-suspect-boulder-terrorist-attack\/\">House launches inquiry into immigration history of Boulder terrorism suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>According to the arrest affidavit, the smuggling was done from August 2022 to July 2024, when Liu was arrested. In the first smuggling attempt, Liu instructed Jian to smuggle the fungus in through one of her pairs of boots, an intercepted WeChat conversation showed.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This image provided by U.S. District Court For the Eastern District Of Michigan shows toxic plant pathogens that a Chinese scientist entered the U.S. last year stashed in his backpack, federal authorities said Tuesday, June 3, 2025, as they filed charges against him and a girlfriend who worked in a lab at the University of Michigan. (United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Michigan via AP) A<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;Teacher Liang&rsquo;s seeds must be placed well,&rdquo; Liu began.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I put them in my Martin boots &hellip; in a small bag. The ziplock bag. Very small,&rdquo; Jian said.<\/p>\n<p>In January 2024, Jian attempted to get a third party to smuggle <em>Fusarium graminearum<\/em> to her by shipping it in a statistics book. The package was intercepted and the fungus uncovered.<\/p>\n<p>The &ldquo;noxious&rdquo; fungus causes billions of dollars in economic losses every year, causing the &ldquo;head blight&rdquo; disease in wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Its toxins can cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in both humans and livestock, the release noted. Ten samples were recovered in that package alone.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This image provided by Nicole Gauthier shows a colonization of Fusarium head blight, a costly fungal disease, growing on field-grown hemp in Kentucky on Sept. 29, 2020. (Nicole Gauthier via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;These individuals exploited their access to laboratory facilities at a local university to engage in the smuggling of biological pathogens, an act that posed an imminent threat to public safety,&rdquo; Cheyvoryea Gibson, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-edmi\/pr\/chinese-nationals-charged-conspiracy-and-smuggling-dangerous-biological-pathogen-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"statement\">statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Thanks to the exceptional investigative efforts of the FBI Detroit Counterintelligence Task Force, in close cooperation with U.S. Customs and Border Protection&rsquo;s Office of Field Operations these dangerous activities have been effectively halted. The FBI remains resolutely committed to collaborating with our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-nazi-guard-living-in-tennessee-deported-to-germany\/\" title=\"Former Nazi Guard Living In Tennessee Deported To Germany\">law enforcement partners<\/a> to protect the residents of Michigan and defend the United States against such grave threats,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Customs and Border Protection Director of Field Operations Marty C. Raybon said the arrest came as the result of a &ldquo;complex investigation involving CBP offices from across the country, alongside our federal partners.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Beijing was quick to deny any involvement.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know the specific situation, but I would like to emphasize that the Chinese government has always required overseas Chinese citizens to abide by local laws and regulations and will also resolutely safeguard their legitimate rights and interests,&rdquo; Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the U.S., told Fox News.<\/p>\n<p>The University of Michigan said in a statement obtained by the outlet that it &ldquo;strongly&rdquo; condemns &ldquo;any actions that seek to cause harm, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >threaten national security<\/a> or undermine the university&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chinese-nationals-charged-after-bringing-possible-agroterrorism-fungus-into-us-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"... ... after bringing possible \u2018agroterrorism\u2019 ... into US - Washington Examiner\">critical public mission<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3431246\/china-outraged-rubio-tiananmen-square-macron-ukraine-taiwan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"CHINA OUTRAGED AS RUBIO MARKS TIANANMEN SQUARE AND MACRON COMPARES UKRAINE TO TAIWAN\">CHINA OUTRAGED AS RUBIO MARKS TIANANMEN SQUARE AND MACRON COMPARES UKRAINE TO TAIWAN<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is important to note that the university has received no funding from&nbsp;the Chinese government&nbsp;in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals.&nbsp;We have and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution,&rdquo; it said.<\/p>\n<p>According to the complaint, Jian, a loyal CCP member, received government funding to work on the pathogen in China before moving to study in the U.S. Her boyfriend, Liu, attempted to smuggle the fungus into the U.S. through the Detroit airport in order to study it with Jian at the University of Michigan. He initially denied placing the fungus in his bag but would later admit to smuggling it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2135335\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2135335\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two Chinese nationals began smuggling a dangerous fungus into the U.S. in 2022, facing charges of &#8220;agroterrorism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2443062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/chinese-fungus-boots.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[56485,56556,22328,14287,32076],"class_list":["post-2443061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-agroterrorism","tag-biosecurity","tag-fungus","tag-smuggling","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/chinese-fungus-boots.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2443061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2443061"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2443061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2443065,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2443061\/revisions\/2443065"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2443062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2443061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2443061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2443061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}