WASHINGTON: Two Chinese scientists have been charged with allegedly smuggling a toxic fungus into the United States that they planned to research at an American university, the Justice Department said on Tuesday (Jun 4).
Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, are charged with conspiracy, smuggling, false statements, and visa fraud, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan said in a statement.
Jian is in US custody while Liu’s whereabouts are unknown.
The Justice Department said the pair conspired to smuggle a fungus called Fusarium graminearum into the US that causes “head blight”, a disease of wheat, barley, maize and rice.
The fungus is classified in scientific literature as a “potential agroterrorism weapon,” it said, and causes billions of dollars in losses each year.
It causes vomiting, liver damage and reproductive defects in humans and livestock, it said.