Российский исследователь Ксения Петрова арестована за контрабанду эмбрионов лягушек в США
A Russian-born scientist and research associate at Harvard University, Kseniia Petrova, has been criminally charged with smuggling frog embryos into the United States and now faces imminent deportation. Petrova, 31, has been detained at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Louisiana since her arrest in February, following her attempt to enter the country at Boston Logan International Airport.
Currently, Petrova is awaiting a federal judge’s decision regarding her potential deportation to Russia, where she fears imprisonment. A hearing regarding her case took place in Vermont on Wednesday. Prosecutors have charged her with one count of smuggling goods into the U.S., following an investigation that discovered undeclared petri dishes, containers of unknown substances, and vials of embryonic frog cells in her possession.
The authorities stated she was lawfully detained after allegedly lying to federal officers about carrying substances into the country. A K9 inspection revealed the undeclared items, all lacking the necessary permits.
If found guilty of the charges against her, Petrova could face up to 20 years in prison and fines that may reach $250,000. After her formal charges, she was moved from the ICE detention facility to a nearby parish jail in Louisiana, with an initial hearing set for Thursday.
Her lawyer, Gregory Romanovsky, criticized the allegations as “meritless,” questioning the timing of the charges. He noted that they were filed three months after the alleged customs violation and suggested that they aim to portray Petrova as a criminal to justify her deportation efforts.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that Petrova had given false information to federal officers regarding the substances she was carrying. They claimed that messages on her phone indicated plans to smuggle the materials through customs without declaring them.
Original Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/world/russian-born-harvard-researcher-detained-smuggling-frog-embryo-us-10007360/
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Publish Date: 2025-05-15 07:23:00
