Group Arrested in Moldova for Uranium Trafficking

Four of those apprehended are Moldovan, one is from Russia and the other from Transnistria, a breakaway region between the Ukraine and Moldova . The six suspects are allegedly part of a criminal group that operates within the former Soviet Union and some Arab states.

According to the BBC, Briceag claimed that the smugglers intended to sell the uranium to an unknown North African. The New York Times reports that the buyer was actually an undercover police officer.

Police found what could be weapons grade uranium in a lead cylinder in one of the suspect’s apartments.

Briceag told the Associated Press that Moldovan police have been cooperating with the US , Germany , and the Ukraine in their investigation..

Uranium-235 is extremely rare and is used in nuclear weapons. A typical nuclear bomb uses 25 kg (55 lbs.) of enriched uranium, 90 percent of which is uranium-235.The more common form is uranium-238 which can be used to make “dirty-bombs,” and has been seen in Moldova before. Last year police arrested three people for trying to sell over 2 kg (4 lbs) of uranium-238.

Smugglers have tried to sell nuclear materials before, ever since the fall of the Soviet Union . Experts say this is because there are problems surrounding security and maintenance of the old Soviet weapons.  The New York Times reports that the US has spent about $1.4 billion trying to prevent these sales which have often targeted buyers from the Middle East.