Chinese citizens arrested in Georgia, accused of trying to buy uranium

According to the State Security Service, three Chinese nationals were detained in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, on suspicion of attempting to purchase 2 kg (4, 4 lb) of uranium.

The suspects planned to travel through Russia to China, according to a statement from the security service on Saturday, and they also made available video of the detention operation.

Authorities accused a Chinese national who was already present in Georgia of bringing experts to Georgia to search for uranium throughout the nation.

According to authorities, the operation was co-ordinated by other criminal group members from China. The State Security Service said the perpetrators were “converging the details of the illegal transaction” and were being “identified and detained.”

The organization did not give the suspects’ identities or when the arrests took place.

According to authorities, members of the group planned to pay $400,000 for the radioactive material. They face charges that could result in ten-year prison sentences.

In recent years, Georgia has experienced a number of serious incidents involving the illicit trade of nuclear materials. One Georgian and one Turkish national were detained in Georgia in July and are facing charges of making a bomb with the unlawful purchase, possession, and disposal of radioactive materials.

After the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, which Georgia was a part of, one of the biggest concerns was the security of leftover nuclear materials from the Soviet era. The Soviet Union became a lucrative breeding ground for smugglers after the government instituted its research.

Georgia reported having detained two people in 2019 for handling and trying to sell $2.8 million in uranium-238.