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Ex-Researcher Smuggled E. coli DNA in Underwear
15 Apr
Summary
- Former Indiana University researcher pleaded guilty to smuggling E. coli DNA.
- Bacteria DNA was concealed in a shipment falsely labeled as underwear.
- He was sentenced to over four months in prison and ordered deported.
Youhuang Xiang, a 32-year-old former postdoctoral researcher at Indiana University, pleaded guilty to smuggling E. coli bacterial DNA into the United States. He admitted to concealing the biological material within a package shipped from China to his Bloomington, Indiana, residence in March 2024. The shipment's manifest falsely declared its contents as "Underwear of Man-Made Fibers, Other Womens" to avoid U.S. customs scrutiny.
Federal authorities investigated Xiang after identifying suspicious shipments from China to individuals affiliated with the university. Xiang, who was on a J-1 visa, was questioned by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on November 23, 2025. He initially denied wrongdoing but later confessed to intentionally mislabeling the shipment and concealing the E. coli DNA samples.
Xiang was sentenced to over four months in federal prison, fined $500, and ordered to serve one year of supervised release. He also faces deportation to China. Prosecutors noted that evidence suggested Xiang was a member of the Chinese Communist Party and had lied about this affiliation, further complicating his case.
