Detroit, MI
Chinese student accused of smuggling biological materials arrested at Detroit Metro Airport
DETROIT – A citizen of the People’s Republic of China accused of smuggling goods into the United States was arrested at Detroit Metro Airport.
It’s unrelated to the University of Michigan scholar accused of bringing crop fungus through the airport days prior.
According to the complaint, Chengxuan Han is currently pursuing a Ph.D. from the College of Life Science and Technology at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in Wuhan, PRC. She is accused of sending four packages from China containing concealed biological material to two individuals who work in a laboratory at the University of Michigan.
All four packages reportedly were manifested improperly and did not contain the correct documentation for them to be imported.
All four packages reportedly were manifested improperly and lacked the correct documentation for importation. One package was listed during shipping as plastic plates but allegedly contained eight petri dishes with biological materials. Another package reportedly had an envelope with a handwritten note hidden within the pages of a book.
Authorities indicated that hiding biological samples inside a book and shipping them is a common method of smuggling into the country.
According to authorities, Han arrived at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on a J1 visa on Sunday, June 8, where Customs and Border Protection officers conducted an inspection.
Through the use of a translator, she allegedly made false statements regarding the packages and the biological materials reportedly shipped to the United States. Additionally, authorities said the contents of her phone were wiped days before her arrival.
After providing several conflicting statements to officers, Han reportedly told Customs and Border Protection that she was a doctoral student coming to the University of Michigan to complete her research project and admitted to sending her research materials ahead of her arrival.
According to an affidavit, Han could not recall how many packages she had sent, estimating between five and ten, but mentioned that several were lost in transit according to Chinese couriers. Her professors at the University of Michigan and at HUST reportedly did not know the packages and did not instruct her to send them.
Han was taken into custody and is facing federal charges of smuggling and making false statements.
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Chickens and geese that went missing from a local nonprofit’s Detroit site were found in the backyard of a nearby home, the director of operations said Wednesday.
The Full Circle Foundation, a Grosse Point Park-based nonprofit, said more than a dozen chickens and geese were believed stolen from a chicken coop on Detroit’s east side that also features the Full Circle Edible Garden.
The nonprofit provides training and job opportunities for young people with special needs.
Neighbors who learned from news reports about the missing flock found the “chickens were being held in the backyard of a vacant home not far from the Full Circle Edible Garden,” said Stephanie DiVirgil, director of operations. She said Ribbon Farm 4-H owns the flock.
“The homeowner was contacted, and she reached out to Full Circle to confirm,” said DiVirgil. “We were able to retrieve all of the chickens and geese that were found on the property, 19 in total.”
The foundation and Ribbon Farms 4-H are working to secure the site, including cameras, fencing and lights.
“We will likely start a fundraising campaign to have these items installed,” DiVirgil said. “We’ve gotten amazing support from the community, including offers to help pay for these additional security measures.”
DETROIT (WXYZ) — Human remains were found in a furnace of an home on Detroit’s west side, the Detroit Police Department tells us.
The remains was found by an individual working on the home in the 5200 block of S Clarendon just after 11 a.m.
Anyone with information can call 313-596-2260 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-SpeakUp.
Stay with WXYZ.com for updates on this developing story.
The Detroit Police Department is investigating after a 5-year-old child was shot in the arm near a park on Tuesday.
The shooting happened at about 8:50 p.m. near the Fargo-Oaklfield Playground on the city’s west side. Police Chief Todd Bettison says the child was in front of his home riding a bike with his father supervising at the time of the shooting.
Bettison says an individual at the park fired multiple shots, striking the child. He says the boy’s father reported hearing shots and the child falling from his bike.
Bettison says the child is expected to be OK.
Bettison says the person appears to have been firing shots randomly, which he calls “problematic.” He says a person of interest is described as possibly between 15 and 16 years old and wearing a mask. He says the person is known to frequent the area.
“When you fire a weapon, what goes up must go down,” Bettison said. “To parents and everyone, know where your kids are. Juveniles should not have guns, and whether you’re an adult or a child, you should not be firing a weapon inside of the city limits.”
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield released a statement, saying in part, “By the grace of God, this young boy will recover from his injury and is on his way home from the hospital. With that said, this incident was senseless and could have had a much more tragic ending.
“Every child in Detroit deserves to feel safe riding their bike, playing outside, and simply being a child in their own neighborhood. We cannot accept a reality where our children are placed in harm’s way because someone chose to recklessly fire a gun.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-Speak Up.
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