Chinese Chemical Bust by Border Officials Underscores a Multifront Effort by the Chinese Communist Party to Undermine the United States
'Coming for us': Expert sounds alarm on CCP's mission to 'kill Americans' after FBI makes shocking arrests. 'Chinese spies' infiltrating prestigious US university.
June 7, 2025
Mexican drug cartels are getting help from the Chinese to build their drug empire that feeds off American consumers.
Border patrol officials intercepted 50,000 kilos of precursor chemicals this week used in the process of manufacturing methamphetamines, sent from China and intended for members of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.
In addition to providing the cartels with the chemicals needed to make illicit drugs, Chinese entities are also one of the foremost actors in helping them launder their proceeds, according to the Treasury Department.
"For far too long, the Mexican drug cartels have raked in billions of dollars at the expense of our local communities leaving nothing but addiction, death and despair in their wake," said Chad Plantz, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge in Houston.
"This initiative provides HSI with a game-changing method to stay one step ahead of the cartels by disrupting the flow of chemicals that they depend on to produce illicit narcotics."
The seizure was part of an ongoing initiative launched in 2019 to identify suspicious shipments of precursor chemicals from China, India and other countries that are destined for Mexican drug cartels.
Since the initiative was established, officials have interdicted more than 1,700,000 kilograms of chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamines and fentanyl, including a seizure this past March of 44,000 kilograms of precursor chemicals at the Port of Houston, destined for the Sinaloa Cartel.
Immigration officials' bust comes amid news of a spate of other incidents involving Chinese nationals or individuals working for China who have engaged in espionage efforts, ranging from agroterrorism and selling military secrets to infiltrating U.S. universities and utilizing American-based products to sow political divisions online.
In the latest incident, two Chinese nationals were charged with allegedly smuggling a "dangerous biological pathogen" into the U.S. to study at a University of Michigan laboratory.
This happened amid controversy over the Trump administration's effort to intensify visa scrutiny for Chinese nationals trying to enter the United States.
President Trump’s visa policy thwarts China’s spy network on college campuses – and in Congress
Concerns rise over Chinese Communist Party influence in universities amid billions in foreign funding
Last month, an expansive investigation by a group of Stanford students detailed how there is a culture of students and faculty at their school doing work for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The report highlighted how some students want to work with the Chinese government, such as through sharing intellectual property or aligning their research priorities with Chinese interests, while others are sometimes coerced into doing work for the CCP, particularly if they have family back in Beijing.
Meanwhile, just this week, reports of Chinese efforts to steal U.S. state secrets or sow political divisions have surfaced.
On Friday, the Department of Justice indicted two Chinese nationals and a lawful permanent resident for conspiring to traffic sensitive American military technology to the CCP.
Over the weekend, a British businessman was arrested for attempting to smuggle sensitive U.S. military components to China.
American artificial intelligence company OpenAI this week also shut down a Chinese-linked influence operation that was utilizing its ChatGPT product to generate social media posts and sow political division related to U.S. politics online.
"The new visa policy is long overdue," Congresswoman Michele Steel said.
"After four years of willful ignorance – or gross incompetence – under the criminal Biden administration, President Trump has wasted no time in directing his administration to take the decisive, necessary action to finally thwart the pervasive and growing threat of Chinese communist espionage."
'Coming for us': Expert sounds alarm on CCP's mission to 'kill Americans' after FBI makes shocking arrests
The Chinese couple is accused of smuggling a 'potential agroterrorism weapon'
Following news that two Chinese nationals were charged with allegedly smuggling a "dangerous biological pathogen" into the U.S. to study at an American university, Fox News Digital spoke to an expert on China who said the arrests should be a wake-up call to the country.
"I was entirely unsurprised, which is a sad commentary, but it speaks to the Chinese Communist Party, the CCP wants to kill Americans," Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute focusing on U.S. and China relations, told Fox News Digital after FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrests of the two Chinese nationals.
Patel sounds alarm as Chinese nationals charged with smuggling 'agroterrorism agent' into US: 'direct threat'
Chinese researchers accused of smuggling 'potential agroterrorism weapon' into the US to study at the University of Michigan.
"Look at what they've done with smuggling fentanyl precursors into our country to kill Americans, look at the effects of them failing to stop the spread of COVID-19," Sobolik said.
"Dead Americans. The fact that they want to target Americans here within the United States with pathogens and with bioweapons. This is the Chinese Communist Party. This is what they do. They're in a cold war with the United States. They want to become the most powerful nation in the world and they wanna make the world safe for their tyranny and unsafe for freedom. And they're coming for us here at home."
The couple are accused of smuggling a fungus called Fusarium graminearum, which scientific literature classifies as a "potential agroterrorism weapon," according to the Justice Department.
Federal prosecutors note that the noxious fungus causes "head blight," a disease of wheat, barley, maize and rice, and "is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year."
The Justice Department also says Fusarium graminearum’s toxins cause vomiting, liver damage and "reproductive defects in humans and livestock."
According to the criminal complaint, one of the accused allegedly received Chinese government funding for her work on the pathogen in China.
The couple are accused of bringing the pathogen into the U.S. to study at a University of Michigan laboratory, which raises more concerns about Chinese nationals infiltrating American universities.
Last month, a bombshell report out of Stanford University shed light on the influence of spies from the Chinese Communist Party that the student newspaper says have likely infiltrated the prestigious institution and other universities nationwide to gather intelligence.
Bombshell report suggests 'Chinese spies' infiltrating prestigious US university: 'Widespread campaign'
"American higher education is addicted to the Chinese Communist Party," Sobolik told Fox News Digital.
"It's addicted to easy money that has come from Beijing for decades. It's addicted to international students that pay full tuition, many of which are then coerced and pressured by the Chinese embassy and consulates and other networks to spy for the party and report back.
"American universities need to finally open their eyes and stop being willfully blind to the threat of the CCP. They're vectors for intelligence gathering. They are vectors for these threats that target Americans on our own soil. That's unacceptable. If sovereignty means anything, we need to be able to protect Americans within the borders of the United States. And universities cannot continue to be willing accomplices of the Chinese Communist Party."
A Chinese embassy official said Wednesday he was unaware of the case involving two Chinese nationals charged with smuggling a "dangerous biological pathogen" into the U.S. for university research.
"I don't know the specific situation, but I would like to emphasize that the Chinese government has always required overseas Chinese citizens to abide by local laws and regulations and will also resolutely safeguard their legitimate rights and interests," said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Communist Party Embassy in the U.S.
READ MORE:
Investigation Reveals How Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Interfered in US Election
Share or comment on this article.
Your support is crucial in exposing fake news and in helping us defeat mass censorship.
Ms. Fungus smuggler sure looks happy with flowers b4 being exposed & booked!
LOVE those smart K-9's! So many Malinois'.
Does China actually own or control HARVARD?