Loose Nuke Smugglers Caught With Uranium

[trailmonkee]

Source: abc

MOSCOW — Seven individuals were reportedly arrested for allegedly trafficking uranium and weapons in a breakaway region of Moldova.

The unnamed group had been detained last week in the separatist enclave of Transnistria, according to Moldova’s interior ministry, Reuters reported.

The group had allegedly been involved in shipments of hand grenades, Kalashnikov assault rifles, rocket propelled grenade launchers, and even containers of uranium-235, which could be used to produce a nuclear bomb. The ministry provided no further details about the uranium shipment or its origin, according to Reuters.

The United States has been very concerned about loose nuclear material being trafficked through parts of the former Soviet Union.

This is not the first reported case of uranium-235 smuggling in Transnistria. In June, 2011 Moldovan police reportedly arrested six members of a criminal group for trying to peddle one kilogram of uranium-235 for about $38 million. That nuclear material had allegedly been sourced in Russia. Three of those individuals were convicted last May.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/09/loose-nuke-smugglers-caught-in-former-soviet-region/

[MinneapolisMatt]

1. K&R

Glad the authorities caught them.

[slackmaster]

2. So, how much U-235 does a "container" hold and how many containers were seized?

[Poll_Blind]

3. NICE! BUS-TED! Hey, I posted a great doc about Transnistria radiological arms smuggling here:

Here, at DU

Please read what I posted before viewing because the documentary is essentially two stories in one.

It's worth the time to watch because Transnistria is a crazy motherfucking place, like a Soviet Interzone.

PB

[Diclotican]

7. Poll_Blind

Poll_Blind

Transnistria is a country who officially doesn't exist, it is a kind of relic of the soviet union, a tragic end game of Josef Stalins chess game in the 1940s.. It all goes back to when Hitler and Stalin deiced to tear up parts of East Europe, before Hitler invaded Soviet in 1941 - and they deiced just to take land from some country's, and turn the taken land into something else...

For the most part it ended in country's, or republics who survived the cold war in a fashion - but Transnitria is one of this relics who never got to be a nation, but where the shadows of Russia and Stalin is still clearly for everyone who know their history...


And it is correct- Transnitria is hellhole of a country - a country who is not a country - but where you can get anything you want - as long as you have the money to buy it with... Rather scary if you ask me... And even after more than 20 year, it doesn't look like the place is empty of weapons, as most of the soviet army weapons - from rifles to hewy artillery was just laying around in the arsenals... And as the country was never accepted as a nation, one of the primary nations to it to survive, was by smuggling weapons to everyone who needed it.. And could pay of it.

Diclotican

[Javaman]

4. they didn't even need their night vision goggles...

they saw them glowing.

[schmice]

5. Moldova: Orly Taitz country. They all crazy there?

[Diclotican]

8. schmice

schmice

Moldova is a nation - Transitita is wedged between Moldova and Russia - originally it was part of Moldova - who in turn was taken from Romania when Hitler and Stalin was "chummy" between 1939-1941. But Stalin, as the chess player he was - deiced to split Moldova into two - and it all ended as it did, after the cold war.. Moldova was getting its independence, Transistitia doesn't

Diclotican

[Octafish]

6. Wouldn't it be great if CIA had a special undercover unit working to stop nuclear proliferation?

You know, the spooks would run a company called Brewster, Jennings & Associates as a front. They could have a world wide network of agents doing all they could to stop the spread of nuclear materials. It could be run by a beautiful, young agent named Valerie Plame. Hey, wait a second!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4139503