NIH Scientists Charged Over Monkeypox Vial Smuggling Case at Detroit Airport
Two NIH researchers, Vincent Munster and Claude Kwe, were charged with conspiracy to smuggle monkeypox into the United States and making false statements after arriving at Detroit from Congo with 113 vials. Federal investigators found that 17 of 20 tested vials contained deactivated monkeypox virus, one contained the chickenpox virus, and two contained human DNA, contradicting the pair’s claim that the box held diagnostics. The case, being pursued by the FBI, CBP and HHS-OIG, carries a potential maximum sentence of five years if convicted.