A Chinese doctor was busted in Texas for allegedly trying to smuggle cancer-related research back to China. 

Yunhai Li, a 35-year-old working at the MD Anderson Cancer Center since 2022, encountered U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at an airport on July 9, as reported by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. 

The office said the authorities working in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations “found evidence Li was attempting to take sensitive medical information abroad during an inspection of his belongings.” 

“We were able to detain him as he was trying to get on a flight to China,” Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told Fox26 Houston. “That intellectual property stays with us, so we can save lives.” 

The MD Anderson Cancer Center along with the John P. McGovern Texas Medical Center Commons is seen on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Houston. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

On that storage drive, investigators found “unpublished research data and articles representing trade secrets, including material-restricted confidential research data, writings, drawings and models,” according to Fox26 Houston. 

The station, citing the court documents, also reported that Li was receiving grant funding through the National Natural Science Foundation of China and was performing research for The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University before and during his employment with MD Anderson – yet did not disclose the conflict of interest to his U.S. employers. 

“I believe I have the right to possess and retain this data,” Li was quoted by Fox26 Houston as saying in a sworn statement contained in the court documents. 

The MD Anderson Cancer Center is located in Houston, Texas. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Li has since posted $5,100 bail and bonded out of jail on Monday, surrendering his passport, the station reported.