TWO US GOVERNMENT LAB SCIENTISTS CHARGED WITH SMUGGLING DEACTIVATED MPOX VIRUS VIALS INTO US FROM AFRICA AND LYING TO INVESTIGATORS, AUTHORITIES SAY.(PHOTO).

 Two US government lab scientists charged with smuggling deactivated mpox virus vials into US from Africa and lying to investigators, authorities say

 Two scientists working at a U.S. government laboratory have been charged with allegedly smuggling vials of deactivated mpox virus into the United States from Africa and lying to investigators about it during questioning at a Michigan airport, authorities said Tuesday.

A criminal complaint unsealed in federal court in Detroit names Vincent Munster, who serves as chief of the virus ecology section at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana, and his colleague Claude Kwe, who works at the same facility.

According to court filings, the two were stopped at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in January after returning from a trip that included a flight from Paris and nine days in the Republic of Congo, where a recent mpox outbreak has been linked to thousands of deaths. Officials said the broader outbreak in the region had been declared over in April.

Investigators said Munster “adamantly denied” bringing any biological materials or samples back into the United States. However, subsequent testing allegedly revealed that both scientists were in possession of vials containing deactivated mpox virus, which they had not declared and for which they did not obtain required authorization.

A Department of Health and Human Services inspector general official said any intentional effort to conceal biological materials and bring them into the country without approval could undermine public trust and potentially pose risks.

Munster and Kwe have not publicly responded to the allegations. They are scheduled to appear in federal court in Missoula, Montana, on Wednesday.

The National Institutes of Health, which oversees the laboratory, said it is cooperating with the investigation and described the matter as an ongoing personnel issue, limiting what it can disclose.

Court documents did not indicate why the scientists allegedly transported the material, though both are virologists who have conducted extensive research on mpox. During questioning at the airport, Munster reportedly told investigators that any required documentation was on his laptop and added, “you don’t need them. I do this all the time,” according to investigators.

Authorities later concluded that his statements to customs officials regarding documentation were likely false.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, typically causes symptoms such as rash and fever, though severe cases can occur. The disease was first identified in monkeys in 1958 and was historically concentrated in parts of central and West Africa, with a major global outbreak emerging in 2022 that spread to dozens of countries.