The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported there were 121 detected incidents worldwide in 2004 regarding illicit trafficking and other unauthorised nuclear or radioactive materials.
The IAEA’s illicit trafficking database said, over 2003-4, the number of reported incidents “substantially increased compared with previous years,” although this could partly be explained by improved reporting. The majority of incidents were not crime-linked, and only one involved weapons-grade material, 170 grams of highly enriched uranium, detected during a cross-border smuggling attempt.
