Nuclear materials are being smuggled by organised criminal gangs more frequently than is generally admitted. Following the line of least resistance, they are often using routes in Central Asia and the Caucasus. There is even evidence of Mafia involvement.
Conventional wisdom about organised crime argues that there is little, if any, involvement in nuclear material trafficking. The reasons given in support of this are persuasive at first sight. A successful transaction involving weapon-grade materials, it is said, would bring down on organised crime the full force of national and international law enforcement.
