US immigration authorities took the biomedical researcher into custody at the airport in Boston in February 2025 after her visa was revoked upon her return from a trip to France.
Prosecutors brought a criminal case against Petrova, who worked at Harvard Medical School, in May 2025, as a federal judge in Vermont weighed whether to order her release from the immigration detention facility in Louisiana.
They alleged that US Customs and Border Protection agents stopped Petrova after her checked duffel bag was flagged for inspection, revealing the frog embryos that they said should have been declared to customs officials.
Petrova, who was ultimately released on bail in June 2025, pleaded not guilty to the smuggling and false statement charges she faced.
