A University of Florida student, Nongnong Zheng, also known as "Leticia," has been implicated in a complex plot involving the illicit shipment of biochemical samples from the United States to China.
Zheng, who held the position of President in the university's Chinese Students and Scholars Association, is suspected to be one among several students connected to this illegal operation.
Despite not being officially charged, the Department of Justice informed Zheng last year that she was under grand jury investigation and could face charges for her alleged participation in the scheme. The university has recently barred Zheng, a marketing major, from its campus for a period of three years, although it remains unclear whether she has also been suspended.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that the operation involved the legal acquisition of purified drug samples, including fentanyl, morphine, methamphetamine, and ketamine, as well as noncontagious proteins of cholera and pertussis toxins. These samples were procured on behalf of a UF laboratory and then illicitly shipped to China under the direction of the scheme's ringleader. The exact destination of these materials within China remains undisclosed.
As reported by the Associated Press, the mastermind of the operation, 51-year-old Pen Yu, has confessed to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Yu is scheduled for sentencing on August 2 and could face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Gregory Muoz, a 45-year-old employee of biochemical company Sigma-Aldrich Inc., who facilitated the shipment of samples to UF on Yu's behalf, has also admitted to the same charge and is due for sentencing on July 23.
The illegal operation ran from 2016 to 2023, with Zheng's alleged involvement spanning only the final year before Sigma-Aldrich Inc.'s parent company, MilliporeSigma, discovered the scheme and reported it to the DOJ. Zheng has claimed that she was manipulated by the ringleaders, stating that she had only done "just a little work and that she didnt get paid that much.
The Chinese student group has recently protested against a Florida law targeting Chinese students in university labs, labeling it as "nationality-based discrimination." Zheng, a Chinese national, could face deportation if charged and found guilty. Despite this, she has expressed her intention to complete her degree.
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