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cancel plans to transport its plutonium ashore in small boats. Also, some are
by air from Europe after failing to smuggled in by yachts and small
develop a crash-worthy shipping aircraft. 10 Evidence of hard drugs in the
container. In 1992, some 40 nations streets of the US suggests that deadly
protested Japan's first large-scale weapons, too, could just as easily reach
shipment of plutonium by sea after it American shores in the same way that
became known that international drugs do. US intelligence officials admit
standards for the shipping container that a terrorist would have no more
were below the fire, collision and deep- difficulty slipping a nuclear device into
immersion conditions experienced in the US than a drug trafficker has
severe accidents. 11
bringing in bulk loads of cocaine.
Since 1992, there have been a string of
Proliferation of Plutonium
nuclear smuggling seizures by the West -
- including the following:
“The inevitable never happens.
What happens is the unforeseen” -- November 3, 1992 Flensburg
John Maynard Keynes
Plutonium 80kg
November 26, 1992 Germany Uranium
“I believe in Divine Providence. If I 307kg
did not I would go crazy” -- January 19, 1993 Franco-Swiss border
Woodrow Wilson
Cesium 133 4kg
March 7, 1993 Gydnia Uranium 238
The potential for the proliferation of 6kg
plutonium around the world is April 1, 1993 Kalingrad Cesium 137
enormous. Borders are porous. Deadly no amount given
weapons and enriched uranium could April 30, 1993 Braniewo Cesium 137
reach any shore via the same route that 25kg
hard drugs take. Drugs from Afghanistan October 6, 1993 Istanbul Enriched
and surrounding areas have reached Uranium 2.5kg
Europe and the United States via air or November 27, 1993 Bursa Uranium
sea routes. Drugs from the Golden 4.5kg
Triangle (Burma, Thailand and Laos), May, 1994 Lake Constance Plutonium
for example, have been transported to 239 6kg
the United States through Thai or July 22, 1994 Location unspecified
Cambodian airports by couriers or Uranium 10kg
stuffed inside goods and transported by August, 1994 Landstuhl Enriched
air or sea. Other methods of transport uranium 235 0.8kg
include concealment in containers, car August 10, 1994 Munich Plutonium
parts, picture frames or gift parcels -- the 239 100-300g
options are endless. Some could be
concealed on cargo ships, thrown over- 12
board near the American coast and Source: Sydney Morning Herald
retrieved by small boats.
Until now, the spectacle of the US
Drugs from South America reach the government being blackmailed by
United States by ship and are smuggled nuclear terrorists has been the
fascination of books and movies. A team
