Two Scientists Charged with Smuggling Deactivated Mpox Virus into US

DETROIT (AP) — Two scientists at a U.S. government laboratory have been charged with smuggling vials of deactivated mpox virus into the country from Africa and lying about it during interviews with investigators at a Michigan airport, authorities announced Tuesday.

A criminal complaint unsealed in federal court in Detroit names Vincent Munster, chief of the virus ecology section at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana, and Claude Kwe, a colleague. The pair were stopped at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in January after returning from a nine-day trip to the Republic of Congo via Paris.

The mpox outbreak in Congo has been linked to over 2,000 deaths, though a two-year outbreak was declared over in April. According to an FBI court filing, Munster "adamantly denied" bringing biological materials or samples back to the U.S.

However, tests later revealed that the scientists were carrying vials of deactivated mpox virus, which they failed to declare or obtain proper authorization for. "Any deliberate effort to conceal and smuggle biological materials into the United States without proper authorization is a breach of the public's trust and could have placed the public at risk," said Marcus Sykes of the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Munster and Kwe did not immediately respond to requests for comment. They are expected to appear in federal court in Missoula, Montana, on Wednesday.

The National Institutes of Health, which oversees the lab, stated, "This matter is currently under investigation, and NIH is cooperating fully with law enforcement and appropriate authorities. Because this is an ongoing investigation and personnel matter, we are limited in what additional information we can provide at this time." The court filing did not specify why the scientists wanted to bring the deactivated virus to their lab, but the FBI noted that both are virologists who have worked extensively on mpox research.

Munster told investigators at the Detroit airport that any necessary documents were on his laptop, adding, "but you don't need them. I do this all the time," according to the FBI.

The agency stated, "It is reasonable to believe that Munster's statements regarding the possession of the required documentation to (customs officers) were materially false." Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, was first identified in 1958 during outbreaks in monkeys. Most human cases historically occurred in central and West Africa through close contact with infected animals.

In 2022, the virus was confirmed to spread via sex for the first time, triggering outbreaks in over 70 countries.