(WWJ) Two foreign national researchers working for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have been criminally charged after allegedly smuggling vials of the monkeypox virus into the U.S. and lying to border officials about it.
Vincent Munster, 53, a citizen of the Netherlands, and Claude Kwe, 38, a citizen of Cameroon, face federal charges of conspiracy to smuggle monkeypox and making false statements to federal law enforcement.
Both were arrested early this year at Detroit Metro Airport.
Federal investigators say both men work at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Hamilton, Montana— a highly secure Biosafety Level 4 facility. Munster serves as the Chief of the Virus Ecology Section, where Kwe is a research fellow studying how dangerous viruses spread from animals to humans.
According to the criminal complaint, the incident happened January 25, 2026.
Munster and Kwe arrived at Metro Airport on a commercial flight that took off from Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, a region currently experiencing a monkeypox outbreak.
During a routine inspection, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers noticed the researchers traveling with a large black plastic case.
When questioned, investigators said Munster and Kwe claimed the case only contained diagnostic and testing equipment.
However, a search by CBP and FBI agents then revealed the case actually held 113 vials packed inside Styrofoam coolers.
What Was Inside the Vials?
Federal authorities have started testing the seized materials.
Out of the 113 vials, the FBI has tested 20 so far. The results showed:
- 17 vials contained deactivated monkeypox virus.
- 1 vial contained the chickenpox virus.
- 2 vials contained only human DNA.
Monkeypox (also known as Mpox) is an infectious virus that causes a painful rash, fever, and enlarged lymph nodes. While the virus found in the tested vials was deactivated, officials stressed that bringing biological materials into the country without authorization is highly illegal and dangerous.
"These NIH experts apparently broke our laws by smuggling viral pathogens on a packed commercial airplane from an outbreak in the Republic of Congo," said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr., in a statement. "No researchers should believe their positions, credentials, or professional status place them above the law."
Multiple federal agencies, including the FBI, CBP, and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), participated in the investigation.
Officials emphasized that government and medical researchers are not exempt from strict border safety laws. Marcus L. Sykes, Special Agent in Charge of the HHS-OIG, called the incident a "breach of the public's trust" that could have placed the public at risk.
Munster and Kwe face up to five years in prison if convicted as charged.
The pair was busted carrying 113 vials packed in Styrofoam coolers
The pair was busted carrying 113 vials packed in Styrofoam coolers
