Two arrested in Georgia for attempting to sell uranium for $3 million

Georgia’s State Security Service (SSS) has arrested two individuals — a Georgian citizen and a foreign national — in the Black Sea city of Batumi for attempting to illegally sell uranium for $3 million, the agency said on Thursday.

The suspects were detained as part of a joint operation by the Counterintelligence and Special Operations Departments, the SSS said in a statement published on its Facebook page.

The confiscated radioactive material was identified as a chemical element — uranium — with alpha and gamma radiation properties. Authorities said it could be used to manufacture explosive devices or carry out terrorist attacks with potentially mass and fatal consequences.

An investigation is ongoing under Article 230 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which carries a prison sentence of five to ten years.