Worth about 72 million dollars. What to make of this type of material being transported?Who were these smugglers? How did the smugglers gain access to this material?Why did they have it?What was their end goal in smuggling it?Had it been sold to some other person/party already and the smugglers were delivering?Was it to be used in covert oil production? Mining?Or was it's intended purpose something else entirely?
Hurriyet
"Police in Turkey’s Black Sea region have seized $72 million worth of radioactive californium, an element used in nuclear weapons and reactors, authorities said on July 6.Some 18.1 grams (0.63 ounces) of radioactive californium was seized in a car by anti-smuggling and organized crime police, the province's governorship said in a statement.According to the statement, the seized substance was sent to Turkey’s Turkish Atomic Energy Authority.Five suspects are being investigated over the incident, it added.Californium is a radioactive chemical element first synthesized at California University in 1950. It is considered highly dangerous"
The seizure was made in Bolu Province- Turkey's northwestern Black Sea area
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Bolu Province (Turkish: Bolu ili) is a province in northwestern Turkey. It's an important midpoint between the capital, Ankara and the largest city in the country, Istanbul.
Could the radioactive Californium been smuggled into Turkey via water?Black Sea or Marmara Sea?
Sputnik
Police officers in the Turkish province of Bolu found 18 grams of californium radioactive substance used in the production of nuclear warheads in a car, according to a statement by the local administration.CaliforniumPolice officers stopped a car in the province of Bolu, near the Atatürk Forest Park. "During the search, 18.1 grams of californium, which is used in nuclear warheads and nuclear power plants, were seized. This substance, valued at $72 million, requires special authorisation to import, transport and store research," the administration said in a statement.
Turkish police in the Black Sea region seize 18.1 grams of radioactive californium, an element used in nuclear weapons and reactors, worth around $72 million and held five suspects pic.twitter.com/qDNwqLEblO— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) July 6, 2019It is noted that five people were detained in this case and an investigation is underway.
Californium is a radioactive chemical element first synthesized at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of California University in 1950. It is considered to be highly hazardous and is used in nuclear reactors as well as in gold, silver and oil mining operations to determine water or oil layers underground. The U.S. and Russia are the only producers of Californium.
In 2013 Police Arrested Smugglers in Diyarbakir with Californium and Stolen artifacts
Turkish gendarmerie seized seven grams (0.24 oz) of radioactive californium and 1,195 historical artifacts during an anti-smuggling operation in southeastern Diyarbakir province, authorities said Wednesday.
Upon receiving a tip-off, security forces caught one suspect in the act of attempting to sell the contraband, according to the provincial governor’s office.Two others were arrested during the operation.
The historical artifacts included 1,177 bronze and silver coins as well as three rings thought to be from the Byzantine and Roman era.
Californium is a radioactive chemical element first synthesized at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of California University in 1950. It is considered to be highly hazardous and is used in nuclear reactors as well as oil wells.