Two researchers from the National Institute of Health’s Rocky Mountain Labs in Hamilton have been charged with criminal conspiracy for smuggling monkeypox into the United States. 53-year old Vincent Munster, a Dutch national 38-year old Claude Kwe, a Cameroonian national, are said to have brought monkeypox virus samples in through Detroit’s Metropolitan Airport.
According to the DOJ, the men were returning from the Republic of the Congo, during a monkeypox outbreak. In Detroit, Customs & Border Protection questioned the large case they were carrying. When inspected, it contained 113-vials of deactivated monkeypox and chickenpox viruses and human DNA.
If convicted, they could fact up to 5-years in prison. Their work at the Rocky Mountain Labs centered around “emerging viral pathogens” and how those pathogens cross from animals to humans. Their Biosafty Level 4 lab has the highest level of biosafety precautions and is reserved for known and potential human pathogens.
Sen. Tim Sheehy is asking the Department of Health & Human Services to investigate the security protocols at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory.
