Greece Intercepts Mystery Cargo Ship With 20,000 Kalashnikov Assault Rifles And Explosives

Greece Intercepts Mystery Ship With 20,000 Kalashnikovs Onboard -- RT

The Greek Coastguard has intercepted a Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship with around 20,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles on board. The intended destination of the vessel, halted near the Imia islets in the eastern Aegean, remains unknown.

The cargo ship Nour M, intercepted on Thursday night, was taken to the island of Symi the following morning under the escort of Coastguard vessels, where it was soon thereafter led to the island of Rhodes.

The vessel’s Turkish captain and seven crew members, two of whom were Turkish and five of whom were Indian, were placed under arrest, coastguard sources told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA).

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Update: Greece holds arms-laden ship -- News24

My Comment: Both Libya and Syria are now awash in weapons such as Kalashnikovs .... but apparently someone wants to buy even more weapons.

Update #2: Ukraine news Agency is saying that the cargoes destination was Libya.

Update #3: On a side note .... Mikhail Kalashnikov (the inventor of the AK-47) turned 94 yesterday.

Weapon Smugglers Are Thriving In The Border Region Of Afghanistan - Pakistan

A smuggler looks down from a donkey trail used to smuggle guns into Karachi, Pakistan, March 20, 2012. Tom Hussain/MCT

Weapons Smugglers Thrive In Chaos Of Western Pakistan -- McClatchy News

KARACHI, Pakistan — The P226, a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol made by the weapons manufacturer SIG Sauer, is a favorite of law enforcement agencies and militaries worldwide, from the FBI and Navy SEALs to NATO troops in Afghanistan and police departments across the United States.

But the shipment of 232 pistols that arrived in the Pakistani city of Quetta in January was intended for a different recipient: Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, an al Qaida affiliate that's accused of targeting Shiite Muslims in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The group used some of the pistols in deadly attacks and distributed others to favored militants — sort of a jihadi version of a corporate bonus — according to militants and criminals in Quetta.

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My Comment: Afghanistan and Pakistan consistently rank as two of the most corrupt countries in the world ... hence getting and reselling weapons from government armories should not surprise anyone.

U.S. Successful In Intercepting 1 Of 3 Smugglers

The Air Force's MC-12 Liberty surveillance plane, in heavy use in Afghanistan, is one of the scarce assets Southern Command chief Gen. Doug Fraser hopes to see freed up for drug interdiction as the war winds down.

US Intercepts Only 1 of 3 Drug Smugglers It Tracks, Says General -- Aol Defense

The U.S. military command covering South America intercepts only about a third of the drug shipments and other illegal traffic that it knows about, because it and allied nations simply lack the assets to intercept most of the suspect boats and aircraft that their intelligence identifies, locates, and tracks. That shortfall in interception results in part from a shrinking U.S. Navy and the diversion of Air Force reconnaissance assets to the war zone in Afghanistan. "We intercept about 33 percent of what we know is out there, and that's just a limitation on the number of assets," said Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, chief of the U.S. Southern Command, at a breakfast with reporters this morning. And, Fraser admitted, that percentage is "going down... More is getting through."

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More News On the U.S. Being Successful In Intercepting 1 Of 3 Drug Smugglers

General says US stops only a third of smuggled drugs -- AFP
Southcom ‘Part of Solution’ to Drug Crime, Commander Says -- US Department of Defense
U.S. Southern Command Wants More Ships for War on Drugs -- National Defense
U.S. military's ability to stop drug smuggling declines -- L.A. Times

My Comment: If true .... 1 out of 3 is a surprisingly high number. I expected less than 10% being intercepted.

Is China Secretly Buying U.S. Patriot Missiles?

Photo: The Thor Liberty is docked in Kotka

Finland 'Finds Patriot Missiles' On China-Bound Ship -- BBC

The Finnish authorities have impounded an Isle of Man-flagged ship bound for China with undeclared missiles and explosives, officials say.

Police are questioning the crew of the MS Thor Liberty after what were described as 69 Patriot anti-missile missiles were found aboard.

Interior Minister Paivi Rasanen said the missiles were marked "fireworks".

The MS Thor Liberty had docked in the Finnish port of Kotka after leaving Germany last week.

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More News On The Discovery Of Patriot Missiles On A China-Bound Ship

Boat laden with surface-to-air missiles stopped in Finland on its way to China -- The Guardian
Finland impounds Patriot missiles, explosives -- AJC/AP
Finland launches probe into China-bound Patriot missiles -- AFP
Finland investigating Patriot missiles aboard China-bound ship -- CNN
Finnish Police Find Patriot Missiles In Cargo -- Radio Free Europe
Finnish police probe ship with missile cargo -- Reuters

My Comment: Talk about lax security on who is able to buy and ship Patriot missiles.