5 people arrested in Georgia for attempted Uranium Sale

Georgia’s security service said Thursday that it had detained five Georgian citizens who were trying to sell uranium.

A Georgian investigator, Savle Motiashvili, said the group was detained at an apartment in Kobuleti as it was trying to sell the radioactive material.

“They were aiming to sell the uranium for $3 million. The radiology review revealed that the substance uranium, with a total weight of 1 kilogram and 665 grams contained two radioactive isotopes – uranium-238 and a small amount, 0.23 percent of uranium-235,” Motiashvili said.

U-238 can be used as a component in nuclear weapons.

Motiashvili said that due to the gamma ray emissions and the type of the source, direct and long-term exposure to the substance was hazardous for human life and health.

A Tbilisi city court ordered the suspects to pre-trial detention. They face five to 10 years in prison if found guilty.

Earlier this month Georgia’s security service detained three Armenians and three Georgians for the illegal possession of nuclear material, reportedly uranium-238, they allegedly were planning to sell for $200 million.