NIH scientist and fellow charged with smuggling deactivated mpox virus into U.S.

Two researchers at a U.S. government laboratory have been indicted for attempting to bring vials of deactivated mpox virus into the United States without proper authorization. The charges involve Vincent Munster, chief of the virus ecology section at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, and his research fellow Claude Kwe.

The pair were stopped at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after returning from a flight that originated in Paris and included a nine-day stop in the Republic of Congo. Airport officials flagged the travelers, and subsequent testing confirmed the presence of the virus vials, which the scientists had failed to declare.

Federal investigators allege that both men lied to authorities about the contents of their luggage. The FBI described the conduct as a breach of public trust that could have posed a risk to public health. The criminal complaint was unsealed in a Detroit federal court on June 2, 2026.