US drops charges against Chinese scientists for smuggling worms after diplomatic talks

South China Morning Post · Feb 26, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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Beijing intervened and helped get charges dropped against three Chinese scientists at the University of Michigan who were accused of helping a colleague smuggle biological materials into the US, defence lawyers said.The materials turned out to be mostly tiny, transparent worms – nothing dangerous – though US officials last year hailed the arrests as a victory for national security. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the government must be vigilant when foreign nationals try to “advance a malicious agenda”.Bai Xu and Zhang Fengfan were charged with conspiring to help another scientist who shipped packages to them from China before she arrived last year for temporary lab research at the University of Michigan. A third man, Zhang Zhiyong, was charged with making false statements.The trio were in jail for more than three months while the case was pending in federal court in Detroit. A judge suddenly dismissed the charges on February 5 at the Justice Department’s request, and the three travelled home to China.The US Attorney’s Office in Detroit said it would not comment on China’s role or the government’s retreat. An email seeking comment from the Chinese consulate in Chicago was not immediately answered on Wednesday.“The dismissal came as a pleasant surprise,” defence lawyer John Minock said. “We don’t know the details. What we were told was there was some kind of intervention by the Chinese consulate in Chicago.”A court building in Detroit. Photo: AP