Half a Billion in Gold found in Iraqi Truck

Reuters | May 23rd, 2003 | Reuters

[12B]

17:15 23May2003 RTRS-UPDATE 1-US seizes what may be $500 million in gold in Iraq

(Add details, background) WASHINGTON, May 23 (Reuters) - American troops have seized what appears to be $500 million worth of gold bars from a truck in Iraq, the U.S. military said on Friday. The 2,000 40-pound (18 kg) bars were seized on Thursday at Qaim on the Syrian border in western Iraq by soldiers of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, the U.S. military's Central Command said in a statement. It said the bars could be gold and worth as much as $500 million, depending on karat weight and purity. The Central Command, which headed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq to depose President Saddam Hussein, said soldiers found the bars while conducting "a routine traffic control search" of a Mercedes truck near the border. Two occupants of the truck, who were taken into custody, told the soldiers they had been told the bars were bronze, according to the command statement. The two also told soldiers they had been paid 350,000 Iraqi dinars (about $350) to pick up the truck in Baghdad and drive it to Qaim and turn it over to an individual. U.S. troops last month found an estimated $600 million in U.S. cash in boxes near Baghdad palace complexes. This month, U.S. officials said Saddam's son Qusay took about a billion dollars in currency from the central bank in Baghdad just before the Iraq war, but that most had been recovered. ((Reporting by Charles Aldinger and Will Dunham, editing by Stuart Doughty; Reuters Messaging: steve.holland.reuters.com@reuters.net; +1 202-898-8300, fax +1 202-898-8383)) For Related News, Double Click on one of these codes: [G] [UKI] [EMK] [C] [MTL] [GRO] [SOF] [RNP] [DNP] [PGE] [GOL] [US] [NEWS] [WASH] [IQ] [MEAST] [CRU] [PROD] [SY] [MET] [LEN] [RTRS] Friday, 23 May 2003 17:15:51 RTRS [nN233960] {EN} ENDS

[Conspiracy Guy]

pingggggggggg

[Grampa Dave]

If true, this will help to refinance the rebuilding of Iraq that decades of abuse from the $oddomites heaped on most of Iraq.

[July 4th]

I bet George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube found it.

[hedgetrimmer]

For a poor country, there sure is a lot of money bouncing around Iraq. First almost a billion US dollars hidden away in some houses, now a half billion in gold bars.

Sheesh.

[pbear8]

You know, I've been wondering where I parked my truck.

[Grampa Dave]

AP has confirmed this story, and it is on this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/916588/posts

WASHINGTON (AP) -- At a roadblock in Iraq, American troops confiscated what they believe may be gold bars worth up to $500 million, defense officials said Friday.

[r9etb]

Two occupants of the truck, who were taken into custody, told the soldiers they had been told the bars were bronze, according to the command statement.

Yeah, right. Hey, Achmed -- how's about you guys smuggle a truckload of bronze over to Syria.

I think we can pretty much count on the fact that these guys are getting the full treatment. They'll break, and they'll say who they're working for. For sure these fellas weren't just grabbed off the street.

[savedbygrace]

Isn't that special? Rich people bronzing their first gold bars. Awwwwww.

[Consort]

Wow! If I had one of them gold bars, I'd have it bronzed and put it on my mantle.

[jjm2111]

Three Kings Alert.

[irish guard]

This just confirms for us that there are some real turds that escaped during the war and ended up in Syria. This was an attempt on tehir part to make thier lives easier post the fall of Saddam's regime. I hope the special forcesa are able to quietly enter Syria and take out whoever ordered the poor truck drivers to make the trip.

[BlueNgold]

Wow, Congress has authorized about $2.5BB for Iraqi rebuilding. We seem to have found better than $1.5BB. The troops have almost caught up with congressional funding! Now if we can just find the danged 'on' button for the oil pipes ...

[ChadGore]

I guess now we know why Uday is set to surrender. The "poor kid" is broke.

[Timesink]

Screw those Dungeons and Dragons paintings in Saddam's love shacks, THESE are the souveniers to take home!

[Magnum44]

Three Kings Alert.

More like a botched Arab version of "Kelley's Heroes". (A much better movie BTW)

[ChadGore]

Re: Wow, Congress has authorized about $2.5BB for Iraqi rebuilding. We seem to have found better than $1.5BB.

Do you think there's any chance that the beloved government would give the tax payers their 1.5 Billion back ?

[Timesink]

Holy moly! who gets to keep it? I think I know what to do with it!

Put it on the open market! Flood the exchanges with it just to drive the goldbugs INSANE. That'd be worth $500 million to me.

[VOA]

Half a Billion in Gold found in Iraqi Truck

I know the honorable, righteous thing to do is apply this booty to the re-building
of Iraq...

but a naughty, vanishingly small part of me fanticizes about a "Kelly's Heroes" scenario.
Shame on me!