[MV] Re: SCUD missle seizure in Calif., Part 1
K.R. Baylor (krbaylor@ix.netcom.com)
Tue, 29 Sep 1998 22:20:30 -0400
> > > An absolute shame that our government feels it necessary to hassle
> > > private citizens and their property.
> > >
> > > Was this the SCUD missle system that AF Budge in the UK was advertising
> > for a half-million pounds?
> > >
> > > Operable missile seized in customs
> > >
> > > By Bill Gertz
> > > THE WASHINGTON TIMES, 25 September 1998, p.A1
> > >
> > > U .S. and British authorities are investigating how a
> > > Russian-design Scud missile was imported
> > > illegally by a weapons collector in California, The
> > > Washington Times has learned.
> > > "This is a full-blown missile," said John Hensley, a
> > > senior agent of the U.S. Customs Service in Los
> > > Angeles. "The only thing missing is the warhead."
> > > A Scud B missile and its mobile transporter-erector
> > > launcher --minus the warhead -- were seized Sept. 2 by
> > > customs agents in Port Hueneme, Calif., about 35
> > > miles north of Los Angeles, said officials familiar with
> > > the case.
> > > The missile system was licensed for importation by
> > > the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. But
> > > paperwork in the case was falsified, and the missile
> > > system was not "demilitarized" -- rendered inoperable
> > > -- as required by import rules, Mr. Hensley told The
> > > Times.
> > > British customs officials are investigating the seller,
> > > a small firm outside London, and U.S. investigators are
> > > questioning an arms collector from Portola Valley,
> > > Calif., near Palo Alto, who bought the system, Mr.
> > > Hensley said.
> > > The missile transfer has raised fears about the
> > > proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and
> > > missile-delivery systems. It also could be an
> > > embarrassment for the Clinton administration, which is
> > > engaged in a major international diplomatic effort to
> > > halt missile exports by Russia and China to the Middle
> > > East. The importation raises questions about U.S.
> > > national security controls.
> > > Mr. Hensley said U.S. military experts examined the
> > > missile and determined that it was produced in
> > > Czechoslovakia in 1985. The missile was identified as
> > > an SS-1C, which the Pentagon has designated as a
> > > Scud B.
> > > Transfers of missiles like the Scud B, with a range
> > > of 186 miles, are banned under the international export
> > > agreement known as the Missile Technology Control
> > > Regime.
> > > Customs officials said the missile was not identified
> > > until it was driven off the British freighter that delivered
> > > it and an inspector called customs agents to examine
> > > it.
> > > Such weapons can be imported but must first be cut
> > > up with a blowtorch so they can never be reassembled.
> > > The officials identified the buyer only as a wealthy
> > > man who is a U.S. citizen. He is a legitimate arms
> > > collector -- apparently not linked to terrorists or illicit
> > > arms dealers. But the false paperwork has raised
> > > questions about the deal and prompted the U.S.
> > > investigation.
> > > Mr. Hensley said the buyer had purchased a Scud
> > > missile earlier that had been properly rendered
> > > inoperable. But a photograph of that missile was
> > > attached to the illegal system, seized Sept. 2, in an
> > > effort to fool customs officials.
> > > After examining the missile, customs agents called
> > > the ATF and were surprised to learn that an ATF
> > > license had been issued for the missile importation.
> > > "We thought they were nuts," said one official close
> > > to the case.
> > > The missile system is being stored at the Navy's
> > > Pacific Missile Testing Center in nearby Point Mugu,
> > > near Oxnard, where it has been impounded.
> > > John D'Angelo, an ATF agent in Los Angeles, had
> > > no official comment on the case. "Routinely, the ATF
> > > and U.S. Customs Service examine items to determine
> > > their suitability for importation under federal
> > > regulations," he said. "We have not yet completed the
> > > inspection of this importation and therefore can't
> > > discuss it."
> > > The SS-1 Scud is a liquid-fueled missile that is
> > > among the most widely deployed weapons in the world.
> > > It is in service with more than 16 nations. Iraq's military
> > > forces were able to extend the range of the missile,
> > > which was fired extensively during the 1991 Persian
> > > Gulf war.
> > > The chassis of the missile's launcher was identified
> > > as a MAZ-543 truck used commonly by the former
> > > Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces for short-range
> > > missiles.
> > > "The guidance was totally intact and the engine was
> > > ready to go," Mr. Hensley said. "All you needed to do
> > > was strap on a garbage can full of C-4 and you had a
> > > weapon." C-4 is military high explosive.
> > > Concerning how the missile was handled by the
> > > British firm, Mr. Hensley said, "It is illegal to import this
> > > into the U.K., so the Brits are wondering how this guy
> > > got this company to do this."
> > > Investigators suspect the missile may have been
> > > bought in Europe on the black market.
> > > "Our concern is not so much that [the buyer] might
> > > have a licensing problem," Mr. Hensley said. "It's just
> > > that in the aftermath of the embassy bombings in Africa
> > > and the Oklahoma City bombing, that this could be a
> > > real problem."
> > > The Customs Service is intensifying its efforts to
> > > check for illegal imports of such weapons, he said.
> > > Stephen Bryen, a former Pentagon
> > > technology-transfer official, said weapons like the Scud
> > > must be fully dismantled before they can be allowed
> > > into the country.
> > > "You have to worry anytime somebody brings a
> > > missile into the United States, whatever cover it might
> > > be," Mr. Bryen said.
> > > He noted that terrorists or rogue states could use
> > > such collectors to acquire missiles illegally.
> > >
> -
--
Best regards,
Robert Baylor
------------------------------
Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
e-mail: krbaylor@ix.netcom.com
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