US troops capture suspected gold shipment
A truck carrying 999 bars of what may be gold has been impounded by US paratroopers in eastern Iraq.
The truck was stopped and searched last week by members of the 173rd Airborne near the town of Sulaimaniyah, which is close to the Iranian border, US spokeswoman Major Josslyn Aberle said today
After the soldiers found weapons in the back of the truck, they arrested the three people inside and impounded their vehicle.
It was later searched and 999 bars of what appears to be gold were found in the back.
The detained men said the 22 pound bars were copper ingots.
The material must still be tested to make sure it is gold, Aberle said. The haul could be worth up to €82m, depending on its purity.
The find is the second time in a week that US forces have confiscated large amounts of what they believe to be gold.
On Friday, officials said troops at a roadblock near the Syrian border stopped a truck carrying what appeared to be 2,000 gold bars.
Two people were arrested, but it was unclear who they were, their nationality, or where they got the bars.
The material has not yet been tested, officials said. But if it turns out to be gold, it could have a total worth more than €414m, depending on carat weight and purity, they said.
