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Georgia busts 6 for illegally selling uranium-238

A uranium button used as feed for work on nuclear weapons ©Telegraph

Georgia has arrested six people on charges of trying to sell $200 million worth of radioactive substance uranium-238, the country’s security service says.

“Officers of Georgia's State Security Service detained three citizens of Armenia and three citizens of Georgia… for planning to sell the nuclear material,” said security service investigator Savle Motiashvili in a news briefing on Monday.

The prefabricated transportation containers full of uranium were found in one of the detainee's apartment, he further said without disclosing the precise amount of the radioactive material.

According to Davit Abesatze, one of the arrested individuals' lawyer, four of the suspects are between 74 to 75 years of age.

The Civil Court in the capital Tbilisi sentenced the suspects to pre-trial detention on Saturday. If they are proven guilty of illegally trading nuclear material or equipment, they could face five to 10 years in jail.

Uranium-238, the most common isotope of uranium found in nature, can turn into plutonium-239, which is used for the production of nuclear weapons.

This is not the first time Georgian authorities have arrested people on charges of smuggling nuclear material. In January, three people were arrested for illegally selling radioactive substance cesium-137.

In August 2014, Georgia's security service also arrested two Armenian citizens at the Sadakhlo border crossing between Armenia and Georgia when they were attempting to smuggle in some amount of cesium-137.


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