U.S. seizes gold bars in Iraq

Reuters | 5/27/03 | Daren Butler

[kattracks]

Tuesday May 27, 12:20 AM

U.S. seizes gold bars in Iraq

By Daren Butler

KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. troops seized a truck laden with suspected gold bars worth up to $100 million (60.9 million pounds) at a checkpoint in northern Iraq, the second such find in four days.

Major Kevin Petit said on Monday that soldiers found 999 bars under a tarpaulin in an old Mercedes on Sunday during a search near the oil city of Kirkuk and questioned the truck's three occupants.

The driver had said he had been paid $300 to carry what he said were copper bars from Baghdad to north Iraq.

"These are not minted bars. The gold was melted down quickly," Petit said as he clambered on the truck to show the impure and roughly moulded 10 kg (20 lb) bars at Kirkuk airbase.

Signs saying "Do not enter, under investigation by the U.S. government" have been attached to the barbed-wire enclosure which surrounds the turquoise truck, parked among U.S. military facilities within the base.

U.S. troops said they suspected the men had been unaware of what they were carrying. No weapons were found and the three were being questioned.

"Based on the sensitivity of the load it will probably be transferred to Baghdad," Petit said.

On Thursday, U.S. forces found some 2,000 bars believed to be gold worth as much as $500 million during a random search of a truck near the Syrian border. That driver also said he was being paid $300 for the work.

U.S. troops found an estimated $600 million in U.S. notes stashed in boxes near Baghdad palace complexes last month.

This month, U.S. officials said Saddam's son Qusay took around a billion dollars in currency from the central bank in Baghdad just before the war, but that most had been recovered.

[EGPWS]

The new Iraqi US Admin, Paul Bremer, announced that at a presser in Baghdad this AM -- the conference was cut off midway by FNC by the way. It seems the Lacy Peterson case is more important than Iraq nowadays.

Makes the cynical wonder sometimes who actually IS behind attrocities like the "Lacy" tradgety. By the focus on cases as such, it DOES divert some attention away from foreign affairs doesn't it?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

If this keeps up, we're going to bring this war in on a profit.

Ju8st amazing!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Right, I have heard all I want to hear about it!

[snooker]

Or stick a tracking device on the truck. Then see who is there to pick up the gold. Bet that would be interesting.

[blam]

"....kinda like being a plumbers helper."

Yup. I had some problem with my water well last month. One hour = $300.00.

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

true but the un is money hungry and with any luck their "pheasant under glass" is not going to be on the menu in the future.

[SuziQ]

I'm wondering why they didn't let the truck & driver continue to it's destination ? with troops not far behind of course.

LOL!! GMTA! I was thinking tracking device on the truck as well as tag some of the bars!

[PhiKapMom]

I am with you 100% with an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening for the Peterson case which is plenty. I am tired of the whole deal and have been for a long time! There are murders everyday and they are not covered all the time!

[FreedomPoster]

>>It seems the Lacy Peterson case is more important than Iraq nowadays.

I'm getting to where I yell at the TV when another Lacy report comes on. Criminy!

[earplug]

If the gold were to stay in Iraq as you want. Will the people of Iraq be free to spend it as they wish? Will the gold end up supporting the Dollar, the Euro or the Dinar(sp)?
If I wanted to leave the USA with ten pounds of gold the government would stop me. What great freedoms are we fighting for?
Most likly your Grandfather took his gold to the government and recieved $35.00 per ounce. It was worth $20.00. FDR used the money to pay off US debit. Your stuck with paper. Now why should the Iraq's be stuck with our paper? I'd convert to gold and leave town too.

[earplug]

Next, Bush is going to declare a war on gold! Stop the flood of hard assets that undermine the governments abilty to control us.

[Rebelbase]

[Archangelsk]

No they belong to George Clooney, Ice Cube, Mark Wahlberg and Spike Jonze. (See the movie Three Kings).

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

Truck - Merc trucks are quite popular in some parts of the world.

[11B3]

You're 8^.

[BaghdadBarney]

"We Three Kings Be Stealing the Gold"...

[zip]

Too bad the U.N. isn't involved, we sure could use their help to expedite finding shipments like these</sarcasm off??>

[zip]

Good post. I jumped the gun. lol

[CyberAnt]

Or ... why not put a signal under the truck so they could track it ... the only reason I can think of - the money belongs to Iraq and we shouldn't risk losing it.