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When officials inspected her luggage, they found a Styrofoam cooler labeled “Research Samples,” containing 19 small vials and tubes packed in dry ice.
ARLINGTON, Va. — A Russian woman pleaded guilty Monday to smuggling animal DNA into the United States.
According to the Department of Justice, Polina Perelman flew into Washington Dulles International Airport on Aug. 19, 2022.
Court documents show Perelman denied she was importing any animals, animal products, or cell cultures on her Customs Declaration. When officials inspected her luggage, they found a Styrofoam cooler labeled “Research Samples,” containing 19 small vials and tubes packed in dry ice.
When asked about the vials and tubes, Perelman explained that they held cell lines and DNA samples that she was going to have sequenced for her research in Russia.
According to court documents, Perelman claimed she was a researcher at the Institute of Molecular & Cellular Biology in Novosibirsk, Russia, and does genetic sequencing of animal and reptile DNA to study evolution. She told officials that she failed to declare the animal DNA because she was concerned that customs might believe that the vials contained disease agents and her work would be seized.
Of the 19 samples, officials say two contained biological material derived from Siberian crane and dhole, endangered species under U.S. law and protected by an international treaty known as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Perelman will be sentenced on Aug. 24, 2023. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
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