The United States said Wednesday it provided technical assistance to Moldovan authorities over the seizure of radioactive substance Uranium-238 from suspected traffickers. “We congratulate the Moldovan Ministry of Interior for its work in thwarting what was a serious smuggling attempt,” Mark Toner, a U.S. State Department spokesman, told reporters. “We did, in this case, offer law-enforcement and technical assistance to the Moldovan Ministry of Interior,” Toner said, adding that a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) team had helped the Moldovan police with their technical analysis. Police found 1.8 kilograms of the uranium isotope in a garage in the capital, Chisinau, where it was under guard and in a special container, the Interior Ministry said. A spokesman said the radioactive substance had been brought to Chisinau illegally by people who wanted to sell it for $11 million. Toner said preventing nuclear smuggling was a priority for the Obama administration. “The U.S. government continues to work with partners worldwide to thwart nuclear smuggling cases, providing assistance with investigations, provisions of radiation-detection equipment, training, and legal assistance to increase sentencings for these crimes,” he said.
