Two Chinese citizens were charged with a conspiracy and smuggling of a fungus that officials said is a "dangerous biological pathogen" into the United States.

Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, were charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the country, false statements and visa fraud on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Jian was arrested by the FBI on allegations that Jian and Liu smuggled a fungus into the country called Fusarium graminearum, which U.S. officials said scientific literature classified as a “potential agroterrorism weapon.”

The fungus causes disease in barley, wheat, rice, and maize and is responsible for billions of dollars of economic losses around the world, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The toxi

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