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The Department of Justice ( DOJ ) announced Wednesday that three Chinese national scholars have been charged with conspiring to smuggle biological materials into the U.S. while working at a university laboratory.

The scholars allegedly made false statements to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers to import materials related to roundworms from China under the "guise" of research at the University of Michigan , authorities said.

"Allegedly attempting to smuggle biological materials under the guise of ‘research’ is a serious crime that threatens America’s national and agricultural security," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.

The agency identified the suspects as Xu Bai, 28, Fengfan Zhang, 27, and Zhiy

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