Latest on missing cyanide truck

Sierra Times | 5.14.02 | J.J. Johnson

[mhking]

Red Alert!

Shields UP!

[El Gato]

Finally a self defense use for the .50 BMG rifles. If you have to take the guys driving this one out, you want to be a good long ways off. Napalm delievered by an A-10 would be better, but in a pinch a few thousand yards stand off would suffice, if you hop into your vehicle and drive like hell in the opposite direction after makning the shot.

[BARLF]

Thanks for posting this. This is scary stuff,just pray it doesn't cross the border. If you post an update on this would you please ping me if you do pings?

Thank you

[CyberAnt]

Living in San Diego - 38 miles to the border, this is really scary to me. What are the chances they will change direction and try to make it into California?

Also, what does this stuff weigh? Could it be handled safely and split into smaller containers?

If that is possible, they could split up and hot foot it over the mountains into California or Arizona - undetected.

I would like to make sure my local TV station (KUSI) is notified of this, but before I do I would like to have as much information as possible.

[freedom4ever]

Another thought is what about bringing it in by boat/ship? Take the truck to the coast somewhere and put the cyanide, if possible, into shipping containers or smaller containers. That's how the authorities say some terrorist types are getting in the country.

[Aliska]

Any chance satellite tracking could pick up on this?

[mhking]

Any chance satellite tracking could pick up on this?

I'm sure if GPS tracking were available on this one we would have had it nailed by now...[sigh]

[CyberAnt]

Whoa! We have so many military installations in our harbor - it is heavily patrolled 24/7; but our nuke plant is very near the coast - not a good thought.

[Humidston]

Thanks for the heads up, mhking! Just north of Houston here...

[monday]

"I bet this is a simple underworld hijacking and the cargo & truck will be resold on the Mexican black-market. Probably was glommed for a specific buyer. "

Who would steal cyanide? The only uses I know of for it are computer chip manufacture and well, killing people. Doesn't seem likely that a renagade computer chip manufacturer would buy it on the black market, so its a good bet that it will eventually will end up in the hands of terrorists unless law enforcement finds it first.

[IsItTimeYet]

Could've they been.... ....on no! Mexicans?!?

They were obviously Samoans or a radical splinter group from the isle of Tonga :)

They've been threatening to cripple Mexico's cyanide shipping industry for years and now they've gone into action. Luckily though, one Samoan is bigger than a single truck, with or without 100 drums of cyanide, so three of em ought to be fairly easy to spot. In fact, they should be looking for a Samoan with an 18 wheeler and two companions on his back trying to step over the border stations....just let em try and sneak past our crack units patrolling the border. ;)

[FITZ]

They could put some bales of marijuana or packages of cocaine ---disguise it as a drug shipment and get it over the border quite easily. Soon Mexican trucks will be allowed to go anywhere in the US but for now they just have to steal a license plate off another truck.

[clamboat]

There was no information given about the description of the men involved, but you can make an educated guess - and probably be correct.

Let's see - hijacked in Mexico by three men -- could they be MEXICAN??? Well that's what I guessed, so I'm probably correct.

Those folks at Sierra times are about as reliable as the folks at the Weekly World News - and also about as worthy of serious consideration.

A truck stopped in the Northwest Monday was found with traces of explosives, and men holding Israeli passports.

...since disavowed by the FBI. Some barney fife thought he had stumbled on a conspiracy of major proportions. The serious labs techs took a look at it and determined that that local yokels were wrong. Hey, terrorists with bombs do indeed go through the Northwest, but not this time. That won't stop the Sierra Times from publishing news about the explosive laden truck forever. They are a bunch of liars a ripoffs, little better than con men who steal from little old ladies.

[John H K]

Who would steal cyanide? The only uses I know of for it are computer chip manufacture and well, killing people

The main use of it in bulk is for gold and silver mining. On another thread I believe someone mentioned that the cyanide on this truck was a solution, not "pure" cyanide, and jibes with it being used for mining. While an unpleasant pollutant, the crap on this truck is apparently not instant death for millions as the clueless hypemongers would have you believe.

Cyanide is common, cheap, and easy to get, and for a terrorist there are probably easier ways to get it than boosting a truck of cyanide solution in Mexico.

Trucks are stolen constantly in the US and I suspect the problem is even worse in Mexico. Quite possibly these banditos didn't even know what was in the drums.

[monday]

"While an unpleasant pollutant, the crap on this truck is apparently not instant death for millions as the clueless hypemongers would have you believe."

Thats a relief!

[Free Trapper]

A 2002 KW tractor alone would be a very enticing target for thieves in Mexico.

The cargo may have been of no importance to the hijackers.I hope this is the case.

[Salman]

Who would steal cyanide? The only uses I know of for it are computer chip manufacture and well, killing people...

Also used in refining low-grade gold ore.

If this truck was highjacked by common criminals for resale, it's a sure bet the buyer is either a terrorist, or selling to a terrorist. Not necessarily a Jehadi, there are many kinds of scary people out there.

[John H K]

If this truck was highjacked by common criminals for resale, it's a sure bet the buyer is either a terrorist, or selling to a terrorist

Or maybe it's someone who wants a nice truck cheap (And no, not to fill it with explosives and drive it into a building, either.)

Honestly, the odds this has anything to do with terrorists or terrorism is clearly less than say, 5%.

[weegee]

Perhaps they will examine their stolen cargo as a windstorm approaches...