Smuggling Science: Chinese Researcher Caught Stealing 90GB of Top-Secret Cancer Research

On July 9, 2025, authorities nabbed Yunhai Li, a 35-year-old Chinese national, at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The Houston incident is now being seen as one of the most alarming examples of cancer research theft in recent years. Border patrol agents uncovered nearly 90GB of confidential, U.S.-funded cancer research stashed on his devices during a routine check. A former researcher at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Li now faces charges of theft of trade secrets and tampering with government records for trying to sneak the data back to China. Li had been in the U.S. under a J-1 research scholar exchange visa, raising further national security alarms.

Since 2022, Li worked on a game-changing breast cancer vaccine at MD Anderson, designed to stop the disease from spreading. Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DoD), the stolen material included unpublished studies, laboratory notes, scientific drawings, and critical models—nearly a finished blueprint of the vaccine. Out of nowhere, Li quit on July 1 and uploaded the research to a Chinese server via Baidu, according to court documents cited by Fox 26.

Court records revealed Li was secretly employed by Chongqing Medical University while at MD Anderson and even received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. This was despite signing non-disclosure agreements swearing he had no foreign ties or research funding. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told the New York Post: “Houston’s medical pioneers save lives daily, and there’s zero tolerance for anyone threatening that mission.”

Li tried to cover his tracks by first uploading the data to his personal Google Drive and then deleting it when MD Anderson began to investigate. But the plan quickly unraveled investigators found full copies on his Baidu Cloud account, packed with vital unpublished vaccine schematics and writings. When questioned, Li allegedly claimed the research “was going to waste” and insisted it belonged to him, according to court filings.

After his initial arrest, authorities hauled Li back into custody on August 25, 2025. He posted a bond of around $5,000 (reports vary between $5,000 and $5,100) and had to surrender his passport to remain out of jail, a signal prosecutors see him as a flight risk. If convicted of the state charges, Li faces up to 10 years in prison and steep fines. But the case could soon escalate federal prosecutors are investigating additional charges, including wire fraud, theft of federally funded program data, and abuse of official capacity.

(Rh/Eth/VK/MSM)