Two foreign nationals employed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were charged on June 2, 2026, with smuggling monkeypox into the United States and making false statements to federal law enforcement. Vincent Munster, 53, a Dutch citizen and chief of the Virus Ecology Section at the NIH’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories, and Claude Kwe, 38, a Cameroonian national and NIH research fellow, were accused of conspiring to smuggle the virus from the Republic of Congo and lying to investigators. If convicted, both face a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The two men worked at a Biosafety Level 4 laboratory, which is designated for studying highly dangerous pathogens. They reportedly arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on January 25, 2026, after traveling from Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, where a monkeypox outbreak was occurring. Customs and Border Protection officers questioned them after noticing a large black plastic case they were transporting.
The men claimed the case contained diagnostic equipment, but authorities later found it contained 113 biological vials packed in Styrofoam coolers. Testing on 20 of the vials revealed that 17 contained deactivated monkeypox virus, one contained chickenpox virus, and two contained human DNA.
U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. stated that the actions of these NIH experts violated laws by smuggling viral pathogens on a commercial airplane from an outbreak area. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that monkeypox primarily spreads through close contact with infected individuals or contaminated materials, with certain groups at higher risk for severe illness.
The CDC reported ongoing monkeypox outbreaks in Central and Eastern Africa since late 2023, with over 100,000 cases globally since the outbreak began in 2022. The U.S. has recorded more than 20 confirmed clade I monkeypox cases since November 2024, linked to travelers from affected regions. FBI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan emphasized the seriousness of the allegations, while the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General condemned the conduct, highlighting the risks posed to public safety.
