Scientists charged with smuggling deactivated mpox into US on plane

Two scientists with a U.S. government lab were charged with smuggling vials of a deactivated version of a deadly virus into the country from Africa on a "packed" Delta Air Lines flight, federal prosecutors said.

Vincent Munster, 53, and Claude Kwe, 38, both researchers with the National Institutes of Health at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Montana, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle mpox, formerly monkeypox, into the United States and lying to law enforcement, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on June 2 in U.S. District Court.

Federal officials said the researchers were found with the virus when they were stopped in January at the Detroit Metro Airport after deboarding Delta Flight 229 that originated from Congo Republic, where an outbreak of mpox was occurring. Mpox is an infectious virus that causes a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, fever and other symptoms, according to the World Health Organization.

“These NIH experts apparently broke our laws by smuggling viral pathogens on a packed commercial airplane from an outbreak in the Republic of Congo. Let that sink in,” U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. for the Eastern District of Michigan said in a news release.

What do Vincent Munster and Claude Kwe do?

According to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI on March 17, Munster, a citizen of the Netherlands, is chief of the virus ecology section at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Hamilton, Montana. Kwe, a citizen of Cameroon, is a research fellow in Munster’s department.

They work at a Biosafety Level 4 lab, which prosecutors said employs "the highest level of biosafety precautions for scientific research of known and potential human pathogens." Their job duties include studying emerging viral pathogens, prosecutors said. The lab is one of approximately 15 such facilities in the United States, according to the charging documents filed March 17.

The lab types are the highest containment facilities worldwide, the NIH says, designed to study deadly airborne-transmitted pathogens with no known cures.

Vials with deactivated mpox, chickenpox virus found in luggage

On Jan. 25, the two researchers arrived at the Detroit airport onboard the Delta flight from Paris. Their travel originated in Brazzaville, Congo Republic, where at the time there had been a known outbreak of mpox.

Munster and Kwe were inspected and interviewed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials upon their arrival, who saw the pair traveling with a large black plastic case. Prosecutors said both scientists falsely told CBP officers the black case contained diagnostics and testing equipment.

A subsequent investigation by CBP and FBI agents allegedly found 113 vials in Styrofoam coolers in the scientists' luggage. To date, the FBI has tested 20 of those vials − 17 of them contained deactivated mpox virus, one contained the chickenpox virus and two contained only human DNA, officials said.

Scientists accused of smuggling mpox face prison

Munster and Kwe are scheduled to appear voluntarily in federal court in Missoula, Montana, on June 3, the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network reported, but will eventually travel to Michigan and face prosecution in Detroit.

Both are charged with conspiracy to smuggle mpox and lying to federal law enforcement.

If convicted of the charges, they face up to five years in prison each, prosecutors said.

USA TODAY could not immediately reach Munster and Kwe for comment.

What is monkeypox?

Mpox, formely monkeypox, is a virus that generally starts with flu-like symptoms – fever, swollen glands, muscle aches, headaches and backaches. It is most associated with a painful rash and low energy, according to the WHO.

Lesions start on the hands and face, and some may be in the mouth or anus and therefore hard to see, Dr. Marshall Glesby, an infectious disease specialist at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian previously told USA TODAY.

The lesions can cause severe suffering and, depending on the location, can cause pain when using the bathroom or eating. 

Contributing: Karen Weintraub with USA TODAY and Tresa Baldas with the Detroit Free Press

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.