Not knowing about it? How it ended up for you?
Real case from last year’s December.
Starring:
lorry driver Zdenek, acetic anhydride (UN1715, ADR8(3), PGII - strictly controlled substance, as it is also used as a precursor in heroine synthesis).
Prologue:
Apr 2009: Slovak police seizes ~900kg of illegally traded acetic anhydride before its dispatch to Turkey.
Unknown time period 2009-10: some 17t (!) of acetic anhydride gets stolen from a factory “in the west of the EU”. Later it appeared on radar screens of Hungarian police and made its way to Slovakia. The police here thought it would soon move to Turkey and initiated a meeting at Eurojust (EU agency for cooperation of courts and prosecutors). The idea was track the consignment and catch the consignees (ideally, some big fish). Cops from SK, HU, RO, BG and TR then agreed on actions and details.
Story:
Early December 2010: A Mr. M. contacts Czech haulage co. JMPI (not its full name, though it’s all in public domain now). He speaks to the boss directly, introduces himself as a police agent and places an order for transport of 15t of a packaged chemical from SK to TR. It’s something for drug production, will be disguised as a disinfenction agent, police in all countries know about it, all safe. Driver has to be reliable, but won’t be told anything. All top secret, keep it quiet. All expense will be paid for. Boss accepts the deal.
10.12.2010: As instructed, driver Zdenek of JMPI turns up at his loading point, a warehouse in Dunajska Streda, SK and loads “Chloramin, disinfectant, 15t” for Istanbul, TR.
14.12.2010: Zdenek arrives at Istanbul. Consignee is contacted but is not expecting such a delivery. Chain of phone calls follows, Zdenek - JMPI - Mr. M. (- people in the background). After week of waiting Zdenek and his boss talk about leaving the pallets in a warehouse and returning home. Mr. M. pays JMPI.
23.12.2010: Czech police contacts JMPI boss: “as per request of a foreign partner, instruct your driver Zdenek to stay where he is and wait, somebody will come and claim the load. He is a part of a police operation”. MP passes the instructions to Zdenek. Zdenek is now clear that his load is not halal and the best thing he can do is to follow the instructions as somebody knows more and better than him and somebody keeps an eye on him.
24.12.2010: Turkish police storms the customs compound and arrests Zdenek. He is charged with “unauthorized production, possession and trading of psychotropic substances, poisons and precursors” and kept in custody. Czech ambassador intervenes and Turkish police confirms the driver did not know what he carried. Zdenek is then acquitted of the charge and released from jail - after spending Christmas there - to be deported with big N in his passport (28.12.2010). (I don’t quite get this…)
It’s clear that something went wrong. Slovak police arrests two men linked to the case and denies Mr. M. works for them. Mr. M. disappears.
Eurojust blames Turks for jumping the gun, inconcievably arresting driver instead of consignees and of info leaks.
Epilogue:
JMPI has one truck less as this one is still in a police compound in Istanbul.
Zdenek quits his job with JMPI - he is persona non grata in TR for 1 year and as such is useless for haulier that only does Turkey and Syria.
Big fish escaped the net.
Addendum:
Hopefully, the acetic anhydride won’t end up “in the right hands” where it would (help to) produce ~400kg of heroine - enough for ~10 million doses worth of ~16.6mil eur.
Reminded me of two other cases from the past, one better and one lot worse, may type them later.