US Drops Worm Smuggling Case Against 3 Chinese Scientists After Alleged Beijing Intervention

The United States Justice Department has dropped charges against three Chinese researchers from the University of Michigan who were accused of smuggling biological materials into the country. The unexpected move came after what defence lawyers described as diplomatic intervention by Chinese authorities.

The case, once presented as a national security matter, centred on the alleged shipment of biological samples from China to the US. The materials were initially portrayed as potentially sensitive. However, defence lawyers later clarified that the items involved were small, transparent worms commonly used in laboratory research.

The three researchers — Xu Bai, Fengfan Zhang, and Zhiyong Zhang — were charged in federal court in Detroit. Prosecutors accused two of them of conspiring to assist a colleague who had shipped research materials before arriving in the US for temporary academic work. The third researcher faced allegations of making false statements to federal authorities.

All three were detained for more than three months while the case proceeded. On February 5, the Justice Department requested the dismissal of charges, and a judge formally closed the case. Shortly afterward, the researchers returned to China.

The case was handled in federal court at the Theodore Levin United States Courthouse in Detroit. Authorities have not publicly explained the reason for the sudden reversal. The US Attorney’s Office declined to comment on reports that diplomatic discussions influenced the outcome.

Defence lawyers indicated that the dismissal followed what they described as high-level communication between US and Chinese officials. According to legal representatives, negotiations were ongoing over a possible plea deal when prosecutors abruptly withdrew the charges.

The biological materials at the centre of the investigation were reportedly short-lived worms used for scientific studies involving chemical reactions and light sensitivity. Lawyers argued that the shipments were improperly labelled to avoid customs delays rather than to conceal dangerous content.

In a related case, another researcher, Chengxuan Han, pleaded no contest to smuggling charges and served a three-month jail sentence before being deported to China. In a separate incident, a researcher named Yunqing Jian admitted to similar charges involving a plant fungus and was deported after serving time in custody.

The episode highlights growing tensions between Washington and Beijing over academic research, intellectual property concerns, and national security scrutiny. In recent years, US authorities have increased oversight of foreign researchers working in American institutions, particularly in sensitive scientific fields.

While the Justice Department has not provided detailed reasoning behind the dismissal, the development is likely to draw attention in both countries as debates continue over scientific collaboration, research security, and diplomatic relations.