Canadian fined $500 for trying to sneak biological material into U.S.

Canadian fined $500 for trying to sneak biological material into U.S.

www.cbc.ca

A former vaccine researcher charged with trying to smuggle biological material from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg pleaded guilty in a U.S. courtroom Friday.

A federal court in Grand Forks, N.D., sentenced Konan Michael Yao, 42, to 17 days in jail — with credit for 17 days already served — and ordered him to pay a $500 fine for failure to present merchandise for inspection.

He had told border guards he was starting a new job in the U.S. and didn't want to start his resear

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Well why am I not surprised. Guy tries to bring in some sort of substance to kill us all, and all they give him are a slap on the wrist and a few days in Jail.

These matter should be taken for more seriously IMO. The lives of millions of people are in the hands of very few when we play with virus and biological entities of any kind.

I mean grant it, it's Canada, but he was sentence in the US. If he'd been trying to smuggle a gun accross the guy would probably never see the light of day again.

~Keeper



www.cbc.ca
(visit the link for the full news article)

I'm surprised, just a $500 fine? I know a guy who now has a felony record for trying to cash one of those fake money orders he got from selling his laptop off of Ebay. Wow, just wow.

It is difficult to understand the treatment this person is receiving.

The circumstances surrounding the case indicate premeditation. the nature of the material highly suspect. How can this be adjudicated with a fine?

It sounds like the guy was honest and admitted all once he was caught. He wanted to bring research samples with him, that perhaps took months to cultivate. It wasn't infectious either, so why even charge the guy with being some kind of terrorist?

Of course you guys are surprised. You think the media is fear mongering everyone.