NIH Lab Researchers Charged Over Alleged Mpox Smuggling

Two NIH scientists at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana, Vincent Munster and Claude Kwe, were charged with conspiring to smuggle deactivated mpox from the Republic of Congo into the U.S. and making false statements after authorities found 113 vials (some mpox, chickenpox, and human DNA) during a Detroit-bound shipment; the virus was reportedly deactivated. The case underscores biosafety questions at the lab, with potential penalties up to five years if convicted, and NIH stating it activated enhanced safety protocols and is cooperating with investigators.