MONTANA — Two scientists at the National Institutes of Health's Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana, Dr. Vincent Munster and Claude Kwe, were charged on June 2, 2025, with conspiring to smuggle mpox samples into the United States and making false statements to federal investigators. The charges followed the discovery of undeclared vials at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on January 25, 2025.

Federal law enforcement alleged that Munster, chief of the virus ecology section, and Kwe, a research fellow from Cameroon, transported vials containing monkeypox into the country without declaring them. Both men were also alleged to have lied to investigators regarding the samples. Rocky Mountain Laboratories is an NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases facility that includes biosafety level 4 laboratories.

According to a criminal complaint filed on June 2, the scientists arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on January 25 after a nine-day research trip to the Republic of Congo. Customs and Border Protection officials questioned the scientists about a large black plastic case they were carrying. The researchers stated that the container held diagnostic and testing equipment.

A subsequent inspection reportedly uncovered 113 sealed laboratory vials packed inside styrofoam coolers. Authorities stated that laboratory analysis has examined 20 of these vials. Seventeen of the examined vials contained inactivated monkeypox virus, one contained chickenpox virus, and two contained human DNA. The contents of the remaining vials have not been publicly identified.

Both Munster, 53, and Kwe, 38, faced charges of conspiracy to smuggle mpox into the U.S. and giving false statements to federal law enforcement. They pleaded not guilty at a hearing in Missoula, Montana, on June 3 and were released on bail after surrendering their passports.

U.S. attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. commented on the situation. "These NIH experts apparently broke our laws by smuggling viral pathogens on a packed commercial airplane from an outbreak in the Republic of Congo," Gorgon Jr. said.

Marcus Sykes, a special agent of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, also issued a statement. Sykes said, "Any deliberate effort to conceal and smuggle biological materials into the United States without proper authorisation is a breach of the public's trust and could have placed the public at risk."

The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce has examined concerns about the National Institutes of Health. The committee sent a letter, dated June 16, to NIH director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, requesting details regarding Munster and Kwe's work, the origin and transport of the biological samples, the NIH's awareness and authorization of the trip, and the agency's response to the allegations. The committee also sought a timeline of the NIH's responses, previous compliance concerns involving the researchers, and whether they made false statements to the NIH or other federal agencies.

In a May 26 letter to the HHS inspector general, Senator Tim Sheehy called for an independent investigation into Rocky Mountain Laboratories' biosecurity and personnel practices, citing a whistleblower complaint. Sheehy pointed to two reported employee exposures to the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, one from a monkey bite and another due to protective clothing failure. The NIH confirmed these two employee exposures. Sheehy also cited claims that Munster maintained access to the high-containment lab after being detained by authorities.

An NIH spokesperson confirmed the agency was notified of the airport incident in January. The spokesperson stated, "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 spokesperson added that the NIH immediately implemented established protocols to secure laboratory facilities, research materials, and biological samples. Munster and Kwe each face a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment if convicted.