Sierra Leone Man Arrested at JFK After ICE Undercover Agent Arranges Iran Nuclear Deal
A man from Sierra Leone was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, N.Y. for brokering the supply of “yellowcake” uranium to Iran in violation of U.S. export laws, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Patrick Campbell of Freetown, Sierra Leone, faces up to 20 years in prison after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement undercover agent negotiated the uranium shipments and then convinced Campbell to come to the U.S. to finalize negotiations.
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According to the complaint, the ICE undercover agent in 2012 put an ad on alibaba.com seeking to buy Uranium 308, a product commonly referred to as “yellowcake” that can be processed into enriched uranium and used in nuclear fuel and weapons. Campbell responded. He claimed to represent a company called Horizon (SL) Limited, which was engaged in the mining and export of uranium, chromite, gold and diamonds for export to international companies, the complaint said. Over the next year, the undercover agent tried to arrange the shipment of yellowcake to Iran. Campbell allegedly agreed to the deal, saying that he has the backing of his country and controls the port in Sierra Leone. The uranium would simply be declared as “minerals” to Sierra Leonean authorities, and the right officials would be paid off, the complaint said.
The undercover agent refused to finalize the deal until Campbell came to the U.S., claiming he was worried the whole thing was a scam. After some hesitation, Campbell agreed and got a visa, allegedly under the false pretense that he was an aid worker. He flew with a sample of the yellowcake, the complaint said. Upon arrival at JFK on Aug. 21, and after clearing customs, Campbell was arrested for furthering the supply of uranium to Iran while on U.S. soil. Campbell will be tried at the Southern Florida U.S. District Court.