Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller called for heightened vigilance following the arrest of two Chinese nationals charged with smuggling a dangerous fungus into the United States.
“I am deeply troubled by the recent allegations against two Chinese individuals for supposedly smuggling a dangerous agroterrorism agent into the United States, specifically a fungus that could cause significant damage to crops such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice,” Miller said in a news release on Friday. “What’s even more alarming is that one of the individuals reportedly has ties to the Chinese Communist Party. This raises serious questions about intent and highlights the real threats facing American agriculture and national security.”
The suspects, Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, both citizens of the People’s Republic of China, face felony charges, including conspiracy, smuggling goods, making false statements, and visa fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit, The Dallas Express reported on June 4.
Court documents allege the pair smuggled Fusarium graminearum, a fungus known to cause “head blight” in certain crops, through Detroit Metropolitan Airport, intending to research it at a University of Michigan lab. The fungus has caused billions in global crop losses and produces toxins harmful to humans and livestock, leading to symptoms like vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive issues.
Miller emphasized the gravity of the threat, stating, “Any effort to compromise our food supply or harm our agricultural commodities will be met with zero tolerance, and we are prepared to support any action that protects our producers and the integrity of our food system.”
He praised the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and other federal agencies under the Trump administration for their swift response, adding, “We must continue to strengthen biosecurity protocols and protect our agricultural research institutions from foreign interference. Our food security is national security, and we will not let our guard down.”
Authorities allege Jian, who worked in a University of Michigan science lab, received funding from the Chinese government for work related to the pathogen. Her electronic devices showed close ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Her boyfriend, Liu, allegedly admitted to smuggling the fungus to “work on it” with Jian.
“The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals—including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party—are of the gravest national security concerns,” said Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. “These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a ‘potential agroterrorism weapon’ into the heartland of America.”
Cheyvoryea Gibson, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, noted the exploitation of academic settings for illicit purposes, stating, “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.”
CBP’s Director of Field Operations, Marty C. Raybon, underscored the need to protect agriculture, saying, “Today’s criminal charges levied upon Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu are indicative of CBP’s critical role in protecting the American people from biological threats that could devastate our agricultural economy and cause harm to humans; especially when it involves a researcher from a major university attempting to clandestinely bring potentially harmful biological materials into the United States.”
The investigation is ongoing.