Two employees of a government laboratory in Montana, USA, have been charged with illegally transporting biological materials and providing false information to customs officials. This was reported by Politico, citing the country’s Department of Justice.
The individuals involved in the case are Vincent Munster, a citizen of the Netherlands, and his colleague from Cameroon, Claude Kwe. According to the investigation, they arrived at Detroit airport in January on a flight from the Republic of Congo.
Customs officers inspected a large case that the scientists were carrying. Initially, its contents were described as diagnostic equipment; however, during the inspection, 113 vials containing various substances were discovered. Analysis of some of the samples revealed the monkeypox virus.
According to the prosecution, the biomaterials were transported on a passenger plane from a region where an outbreak of the disease had been recorded. Both scientists face up to five years in prison.
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