India, June 4 -- Two Chinese nationals - Zunyong Liu, Yunqing Jian - were arrested after they were suspected of smuggling a crop-killing fungus to the United States.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the US District Court in Detroit, Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, have been charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud.

Prosecutors have added that Jian and Lui "illegally imported" Fusarium graminearum, a fungus known to cause head blight, which is a disease affecting crops such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice.

"This case involves a fungus that poses a serious risk to global food security and public health. The alleged smuggling of this biological agent into an Ame...