According to a statement released on Saturday, the suspects planned to transport the nuclear material to China via Russia. The agency also released video footage of the detention operation.

Authorities accused a Chinese national already residing in Georgia—who was in breach of visa regulations—of bringing in experts to search for uranium across the country. Other members of the criminal group allegedly coordinated the operation from China. The suspects were identified and detained while negotiating the details of the illegal transaction, the State Security Service said. The agency did not specify when the arrests took place or reveal the identities of those involved.

Members of the group reportedly planned to pay USD 400,000 for the radioactive material. They face charges that carry prison sentences of up to 10 years.

Several serious incidents involving the illicit trade of nuclear materials have occurred in Georgia in recent years. In July, authorities arrested a Georgian and a Turkish national, charging them with the illegal purchase, possession, and disposal of radioactive substances that the State Security Service said could have been used to make a bomb.

The security of nuclear materials left over from the Soviet era has been one of the main concerns since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, of which Georgia was a member. After Soviet research institutions shut down, the country became fertile ground for smugglers.

In 2019, Georgia reported detaining two people for handling and attempting to sell USD 2.8 million worth of uranium-238. In 2016, authorities arrested 121 people, including Georgians and Armenians, in two sting operations in the same month, accusing them of trying to sell about USD 203 million worth of uranium-238 and uranium-235. (Aljazeera)