Federal prosecutors have charged two researchers accused of bringing vials containing mpox, chickenpox and human DNA into the United States through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport after arriving from the Republic of Congo. Authorities say the materials were hidden inside Styrofoam coolers packed within a large black case carried onto a commercial flight.
Reports say the men worked at one of America's highest-security infectious disease laboratories and specialised in studying dangerous viral pathogens.
According to the Justice Department's press release, Vincent Munster, 53, from the Netherlands, and Claude Kwe, 38, from Cameroon, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle biological materials into the US and making false statements to federal investigators. Both men were employed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories facility in Hamilton, Montana.
According to prosecutors, the pair arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on 25 January 2026 after travelling from Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, where health officials were dealing with an active mpox outbreak.
Airport Inspection Led to Vial Discovery
The investigation began after Customs and Border Protection officers reportedly noticed the researchers travelling with a large plastic storage case. Prosecutors said the men told officers the luggage contained diagnostic and testing equipment.
Federal authorities allege that explanation quickly unravelled.
FBI agents joined customs officers in examining the containers and allegedly discovered 113 vials stored inside Styrofoam coolers. Laboratory testing later found that 17 vials contained deactivated mpox virus, one contained chickenpox virus and two held human DNA samples.
Officials have not publicly stated why the materials were allegedly transported without proper declaration or authorisation.
Prosecutors claim the researchers failed to accurately disclose the biological materials when questioned by authorities at the airport.
Both men worked inside a Biosafety Level 4 laboratory, which operates under the strictest containment standards used in scientific research involving highly dangerous pathogens. Those facilities handle viruses considered capable of causing severe disease and requiring maximum security precautions.
Prosecutors Frame Case as Public Safety Issue
US Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced the charges. 'These NIH experts apparently broke our laws by smuggling viral pathogens on a packed commercial airplane from an outbreak in the Republic of Congo,' he said. 'Let that sink in.'
Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI's Detroit field office, said no researcher should assume professional status places them above the law.
Marcus L. Sykes from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General described any deliberate concealment of biological materials entering the country as a breach of public trust.
Mpox remains under close international monitoring after global outbreaks in recent years exposed weaknesses in public health coordination and disease surveillance. Although the virus is rarely fatal, it spreads through close contact between humans or animals and infected individuals.
The World Health Organization (WHO) formally renamed the disease from 'monkeypox' to 'mpox' in 2022 after concerns the earlier term carried discriminatory and stigmatising language.
Researchers frequently transport biological samples across borders for legitimate scientific purposes, particularly during outbreaks. Strict declaration rules exist because even deactivated viral material falls under tightly regulated transport procedures.
Prosecutors said the mpox samples discovered were deactivated, meaning they were not capable of causing active infection in the same way as live virus material. Still, authorities argue the alleged failure to properly declare and transport the materials represents a serious violation.
High-Level Scientific Roles Now Under Scrutiny
Munster held a senior role as chief of the Virus Ecology Section's Laboratory of Virology at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, according to federal prosecutors. Kwe worked as a research fellow in the same division.
Their research reportedly focused on emerging viral pathogens and how viruses cross between animal species and humans.
Rocky Mountain Laboratories is one of the United States government's most important infectious disease research centres and has long played a major role in studying Ebola, coronaviruses and other high-risk pathogens.
The allegations arrive during a period of deep political and public sensitivity around laboratory safety, pathogen research and government oversight involving infectious diseases. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, public trust surrounding high-level biological research has become increasingly fragile, particularly when questions emerge over containment or transport procedures.
At present, prosecutors have not accused the researchers of attempting to release harmful pathogens or planning any broader criminal act beyond alleged smuggling and false statements.
Neither Munster nor Kwe has publicly commented on the allegations, and it remains unclear whether either man has retained legal representation. If convicted, both face maximum prison sentences of five years.
