Posted on 04/17/2026 3:20:48 AM PDT by Libloather
A Chinese researcher was sentenced to more than four months in prison after pleading guilty to smuggling Escherichia coli (E. coli) into the United States, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Youhuang Xiang, 32, a former Indiana University postdoctoral researcher and Chinese national, admitted to concealing E. coli DNA in a shipment from China that was falsely labeled as women’s underwear, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.
Prosecutors said the FBI also uncovered evidence that Xiang was a member of the Chinese Communist Party and had lied about that affiliation to immigration authorities. Authorities said the case raises concerns about public safety and the integrity of federally funded research.
"Such conduct poses a very serious threat to public safety and to the health of our agricultural economy," U.S. Attorney Tom Wheeler said.
Authorities said Xiang received the package at his Bloomington, Indiana, residence in March 2024 after it was shipped from a China-based company and mislabeled on the manifest to avoid detection.
According to court documents, the FBI’s Indianapolis Division began investigating suspicious shipments from China to individuals affiliated with Indiana University in November 2025. Agents determined that Xiang had received a shipment from Guangzhou Sci-Tech Innovation Trading that was declared as "Underwear of Man-Made Fibers, Other Womens." Investigators found the shipment unusual, given the company’s focus on science and technology products.
He was later stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Chicago O’Hare International Airport in November 2025 upon his return from a research trip to the United Kingdom. Authorities said he initially denied knowledge of the shipment before admitting the contents had intentionally concealed samples of DNA of E. coli bacteria, according to court documents.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
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Every year tons of cocaine are smuggled into the United States. I mention cocaine because of the volume it takes up and the weight it represents. Quite literally, anything can be brought in and the probability that we’d detect it is very small. It could be nuclear mines, attack drones or biological weapons. Just days ago, weapons being shipped from Iran to terror organizations were discovered in the US. In that case and in this one, the reason the discovery was made is almost certainly from an intelligence leak rather than rigorous searching.
We are living in a dangerous world and periodically, we are led by senile old men or licentious thieving sex maniacs who have zero interest in protecting Americans. Whatever can be done about this has to be accomplished while Trump is still in office. My impression is he’s the first president since Reagan who put Americans first.
We got fleas hanging around biden and barry
very serious threat to public safety and to the health of our agricultural economy,” U.S. Attorney Tom Wheeler said.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Four months for that? How about 20 years?
Why would someone need to smuggle e coli?
We’ve got 600,000 Chinese spies attending American universities. What could go wrong?
they smuggle it in order to weaponize it
YouHang Zang. Save America.
What do you think he planned to do with that...
AFAIK, call human feces contains ecoli. It’s a natural occurring bacteria readily available. So, i ask, why does it have to be smuggled into the country?
I imagine it is weaponsized
Its available everywhere. It doesn’t need to be smuggled.
Not the first such.
Sounds like it is a DNA sample from a particular strain of this species of E. coli, maybe one whose DNA has been sequenced, making it more useful in research, since all the variables would be known, whereas a wild strain would have unknowns.
Indiana University and Purdue University are overrun with Communist Chinese
We don’t know whether the e-coli has been enhanced or not or was coming to an America located Chinese lab for further genetic fiddling. Surely it is one or the other.
“Agents determined that Xiang had received a shipment from Guangzhou Sci-Tech Innovation Trading that was declared as “Underwear of Man-Made Fibers, Other Womens.” Investigators found the shipment unusual, given the company’s focus on science and technology products.”
Good thing the Chinese couldn’t figure out how to sneak one past Captain Obvious and Lieutenant Sharpie.
maybee special blend, ancient chinese secret?
maybe found in Swallwell’s gym bag?
I agree fully, and also the first that can't be bought.
TERRORIST, nothing more or less.
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