Abstract:

During the night of 29 May 2008, Ukraine’s security services conducted arrests of members of a criminal group that transported steel pipes, scrap metal, vehicle parts, and wood from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exclusion zone and sold them on the black market. The radiation level of these goods reportedly exceeded the sanitary norms by 20-30 times. An investigation in accordance with article 2671 of Ukraine’s criminal code (breaking the radiation safety regime) has been initiated by the Kiev region procuracy. The exact number of individuals arrested was not reported.

In an unrelated incident reported earlier in May, Ukrainian law enforcement officials uncovered an illicit scrap metal collecting point in Nikolayev region. The collecting point apparently accepted radioactive parts from the South Ukraine nuclear power plant. Authorities have reportedly located the truck, which was used to transport radioactive metal parts, and have identified the owner of the scrap metal collecting point. Moreover, among over 9.4 tons of various metallic parts discovered in this individual’s garage, there were reportedly parts of nuclear power plant equipment with elevated levels of background radiation. Press reports did not specify whether the owner of the scrap metal collecting point was arrested and whether an investigation was in progress.[1]

Abstract Number:  20080150
Headline:  Ukrainian law enforcement officials arrest smugglers of radioactive scrap metal
Date:  30 May 2008
Bibliography:  "SBU poymala deltsov, torgovavshikh metallom i derevom iz Chernobylya," proUA, 30 May 2008; in Integrum Techno, www.integrum.ru.
Material:  Contaminated Materials

Source:

"Skupshchik metalloloma prinimal dazhe radioaktivnyye detali s atomnoy stantsii," Nikolaevskie Novosti, 21 May 2008; in Integrum Techno, www.integrum.ru.{Entered 9/23/08 AL}