Two scientists at the National Institutes of Health face federal charges after authorities say they transported sealed vials of mpox through a commercial airport without declaring them or obtaining required authorizations, triggering a congressional investigation into the agency's biosafety oversight.
Dr Vincent Munster, 53, the Dutch-born chief of the virus ecology section at the NIH's Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana, and Claude Kwe, 38, a research fellow from Cameroon, arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on January 25 after conducting fieldwork in the Republic of Congo. According to a criminal complaint, customs officials grew suspicious when questioning the pair about a large black plastic case they were carrying.
The scientists initially told inspectors the container held "diagnostic and testing equipment." Inside, authorities found 113 sealed laboratory vials packed in styrofoam coolers. When asked to produce required documentation, Munster allegedly responded: "Yes yes, it's all in my laptop, but you won't need them. I do this all the time."
Laboratory analysis of 20 vials revealed that 17 contained inactivated mpox virus, one contained chickenpox virus, and two contained human DNA. The contents of the remaining vials have not been publicly identified. Under federal law, even deactivated biological agents require strict authorization and declaration procedures when transported on commercial flights.
Both men were charged on June 2 with conspiracy to smuggle mpox into the country and making false statements to federal investigators. They pleaded not guilty at a hearing in Missoula on June 3 and were released on bail after surrendering their passports. Each faces a maximum of five years in prison if convicted.
Munster is a prolific virologist with roughly 400 publications and 69,000 citations. He and Kwe have co-authored 12 research reports on mpox since 2023. Rocky Mountain Laboratories, part of the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, operates biosafety level 4 facilities, the highest containment category, where researchers study dangerous pathogens like Ebola and Nipah virus.
U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr called the allegations a serious breach of federal law. "These NIH experts apparently broke our laws by smuggling viral pathogens on a packed commercial airplane from an outbreak in the Republic of Congo," he said. "Let that sink in."
The case has escalated into a broader congressional examination of the agency's practices. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce sent a letter to NIH Director Dr Jay Bhattacharya on June 16 requesting documentation about the researchers' work, whether the NIH authorized or was aware of the trip, the origin and handling of the samples, and any prior compliance issues involving either scientist.
The committee also asked for a timeline of the NIH's response after learning of the charges and whether the researchers made false statements to NIH or other federal agencies.
Scrutiny of Rocky Mountain Laboratories' operations has widened beyond this case. Republican Senator Tim Sheehy sent a letter to the HHS inspector general on May 26 calling for an independent investigation into the facility's biosecurity and personnel practices. He cited a whistleblower complaint and pointed to two confirmed employee exposures to the potentially fatal Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, including one involving a monkey bite and another involving protective clothing failure.
Sheehy also raised concerns that Munster retained access to the high-containment laboratory after his detention by authorities. The organization White Coat Waste, which has long criticized Munster's taxpayer-funded animal research, cited ethical, biosafety, and national security concerns in the whistleblower complaint.
An NIH spokesperson said the agency was notified of the airport incident in January and immediately secured laboratory facilities, research materials, and biological samples. "NIH also took appropriate personnel actions and took all relevant steps to confirm that there was no risk at any time to staff or the public in or around the Rocky Mountain Laboratories facility," the statement said.
The agency said it is cooperating fully with law enforcement and continues to prioritize biosafety across the organization. Kwe's attorney, Benton Martin, said his client is presumed innocent and awaits further proceedings. Munster did not respond to requests for comment.
Author James Rodriguez: "The optics here are brutal for NIH leadership, and rightfully so, the fact that two credentialed scientists allegedly thought they could wheel sealed viral samples through a commercial airport suggests a serious accountability problem at the highest levels of the agency."
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