Abstract:

As a result of a sting operation, Ukrainian law enforcement authorities detained two suspected sellers of cesium and enriched uranium, Kommersant-Ukraine reported on 7 July 2008. Representatives of Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the arrest of the individuals – a 52-year old resident of Dnepropetrovsk and a 37-year old security officer at a bank, previously a law enforcement official, place of residence unknown – on 6 July 2008. The sting operation was organized when law enforcement officials were informed that a sale of radioactive materials would take place on the Borispol-Zaporizhiye highway. The individuals were detained en route from Dnepropetrovsk to Cherkasskiy. Two containers labeled "isotopes," the contents of which were later determined to exceed the limits of ionizing radiation by 5 and 21 times, were seized and moved to the nearest location of the Radon special combine in Kiev. Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs officials indicated to the press that the perpetrators wanted to receive $5 million for the radioactive substances, and the sale was intended as a trial run to set up an illicit trafficking channel, though the accuracy of the latter statement is unclear. It’s also unclear whether the materials involved in the case have been accurately identified.

Some sources indicate that the materials were packed as military samples; however, their origin as well as their true identification remains unknown.[1] The Cherkassk regional Ministry of Internal Affairs has initiated criminal proceedings under article 265, part 1 ("unlawful possession of radioactive materials") of Ukraine’s criminal code. The individuals remain in detention while an investigation is in progress. This case will be updated.

Abstract Number:  20080070
Headline:  Ukrainian police arrest suspected sellers of cesium and uranium
Date:  7 July 2008
Bibliography:  "V Cherkasskoy oblasti zaderzhany torgovtsy radioaktivnymi materialami," Kommersant Ukraina, 7 July 2008; in Integrum Techno, www.integrum.ru.
Author:  Konstantin Usov
Material:  Cesium, Uranium (TBD)

Source:

[1] Anatolyi Gavrish, "V Cherkasskoi oblasti perekryli nelegalniy kanal sbyta tseziya i obogashennogo urana," Fakty i Kommentarii, 10 July 2008; inIntegrum Techno, www.integrum.ru. {Entered 7/15/08; Updated 9/23/08 AL}