A 35-year-old Saskatoon woman plead guilty in provincial court this past week, to charges of trying to import a radioactive substance known as Polonium-209.
The woman was arrested last year when police received a tip that the woman was trying to import the Polonium-210 from dark net. The dark net is famous for a lot of highly illegal activity such as drugs, and other controlled substances.
“Polonium-209 is the radioactive isotope that was used to kill former Russian Federal Security Officer Alexander Litvinenko in 2006,” Prosecutor Doug Curliss said.
Litvinenko was given poisoned green tea in London after fleeing from Russia. Speculators have said that Russian President, Vladimir Putin approved the London murder of Litvinenko. No facts were found to back up these claims.
Curliss went on to say that police had set up an undercover sting once the situation was known. They set up a covert package drop, where the woman accepted the package, which was holding a fake substance.
Shortly after she was arrested, and charged with trying to import a nuclear substance under the Canadian Nuclear Safety and Control Act.
At first, the woman told investigating officers that she intended to use the radioactive substance to harm an abusive boyfriend. Investigators later found out that the woman in fact didn’t have and abusive boyfriend. She finally came clean, and told authorities that she intended to use the Polonium-209 on herself.
In light of her admission of guilt, and information that was later found out during the investigation, the judge ordered her to receive counseling as opposed to any jail sentence.
It is unclear as to where in particular the woman tried to order the radioactive substance, and the courts said that while the ordering process, and dark net are a major concern, the intended use of the substance outweighs it tenfold.
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