Authorities in combat gear and anti-radiation suits seize three to five kilograms of Uranium-238 and Uranium-235 in a residence in Barangay Gusa, Cagayan de Oro.
Full story: https://www.rappler.com/philippines/mindanao/uranium-raid-stuns-quiet-cagayan-de-oro-neighborhood/
Full story: https://www.rappler.com/philippines/mindanao/uranium-raid-stuns-quiet-cagayan-de-oro-neighborhood/
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00:00Authorities in combat gear and anti-radiation suits seized 3 to 5 kilograms of Uranium-238
00:08and Uranium-235 in a residence in Barangay Gusa, Cagayan de Oro.
00:12The National Bureau of Investigation says it caught Roy Vistal, the alleged syndicate
00:16leader, trafficking hazardous uranium.
00:19The operation marks the end of a two-month investigation stretching across three cities
00:23in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, Pasay, Mandawi, and Cagayan de Oro.
00:29Vistal's partner in the syndicate, May Virgel Zagala, and associate Arnel Gimpaya-Santiago
00:34were apprehended in Pasay City along with three kilograms of the uranium isotopes.
00:40The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute says it alerted the NBI to the group's illicit
00:44trade of the hazardous materials.
00:47There are strict regulations on Uranium-238 and highly radioactive and fissionable Uranium-235
00:53as they are essential to nuclear energy and weapons production.
00:57The NBI says the uranium isotopes can be used by terrorist organizations to beef up
01:01their weaponry.
01:02But the PNRI chief clarifies, the recovered uranium would not be enough to produce a bomb
01:08but its residual powder will still be dangerous to the public.
01:11The three suspects are now in the custody of the Justice Department for violating the
01:15Atomic Energy Regulatory and Liability Act of 1968.