A cache seized by Turkish police in capital Ankara, reported by broadcaster NTV to be the radioactive Californium element, was in fact a polystyrene sulfonate, a kind of polymer used for medical and technical purposes.

Californium, a rare and dangerous non-natural element, is being used in nuclear warheads and nuclear energy plants as well as in the oil and mining industries, with a worth of approximately $4 million per gram.

Ankara's anti-smuggling teams conducted the operation in Pursaklar district upon a tipoff, detaining four suspects believed to be a part of a larger criminal organization.

According to Monday's NTV article, the suspects were reportedly in possession of a cache of Californium weighing 1.441 kilograms that they planned to sell for $72 million on the black market.

However, the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK) found the material to be non-radioactive.

Detailed analysis showed it to instead be the polymer sodium 4-styrenesulfonate, an organic substance with no nuclear or radioactive properties.

First developed in the 1950s in the U.S., Californium is a "strategic" element due to its limited area of use. It is widely used in gold, silver and oil mining operations to determine water or oil layers underground. The U.S. and Russia are the only producers of Californium.</s>Image copyright Getty Images

Turkish police say they have seized 1.4kg (3lb) of radioactive material during an anti-smuggling operation in the capital, Ankara.

The material, which police said was the element Californium, was found when a car was searched in the Pursaklar suburb of the city, NTV news channel reported (in Turkish).

Four people in the car were detained.

Police said the suspects were part of a group that had planned to sell the material for more than $70m (£49m).

Pictures supplied by the authorities showed vials and a large packet containing a granular mixture laid out on a table.

It was not clear where the seized material had originated from. NTV said it had been taken to the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK) for further examination.

Californium is believed to be produced only in the US and Russia. The isotope Californium-252 is used in nuclear reactors, in portable metal detectors and also in medicine to treat some forms of cancer. However, it is produced in very small quantities.

The element was first synthesized by a university laboratory in the US state of California in 1950.</s>Turkish police say they have seized 1.4kg (3lb) of radioactive material during an anti-smuggling operation in the capital, Ankara.

The element, known as Californium, was found when a car was searched in the Pursaklar suburb of the city, NTV news channel reported.

Four people in the car were detained.

Police said the suspects were believed to be part of a group that had planned to sell the material for more than $70m (£49m).

It is not clear where the Californium originated.

The seized material was taken to the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK) for further examination, NTV said.

Californium is believed to be produced only in the US and Russia. It is used in nuclear reactors, in portable metal detectors and also in medicine to treat some forms of cancer.

The element was first synthesized by a university laboratory in the US state of California in 1950.</s>Turkish authorities have detained four men after they were found to have large quantities of a radioactive nuclear element in their car.

The element, known as Californium, was found when a car was searched in the Ankara suburb of Pursaklar on Monday during an anti-smuggling operation.

Police said the four were part of a criminal gang that intended to sell the rare material on the black market for more than $70 million.

The Turkish press reported that the identity of the buyer of the nuclear material remains unclear.

The seized material was taken to the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK) for further examination. Neither the agency nor the police have revealed the origin of the highly radioactive material, which is now being safeguarded.

Californium is believed to be produced only in the U.S. and Russia. It is used in nuclear reactors, in portable metal detectors and also in medicine to treat some forms of cancer.</s>Police arrested four men in possession of a rare nuclear substance in its capital Ankara on Monday, according to Turkish broadcaster NTV, The Daily Sabah reports.



The radioactive material in question, Californium, is worth $4 million per gram and is used mainly for nuclear warheads, nuclear energy plants and in the oil and mining industries.





Californium is only produced by the US and Russia.The four suspects, believed to be part of a larger criminal organization, reportedly intended to sell 1.4 kg of the material on the black market for $72 million.The seized radioactive material was taken to the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority, the Turkish pro-government Daily Sabah reports.There was no comment from the Turkish Atomic Agency Authority or the police.</s>Turkish police have seized 1.4kg of a radioactive material which had been due to be sold on the black market for £49million.

Four men were arrested after police searched their vehicle in a suburb of the capital Ankara and found 1,441grams of Californium following a tip-off.

Californium is a synthetic radioactive element which is reportedly used to 'kickstart nuclear reactors'.

The men arrested are believed to be part of a larger criminal organisation, who were planning on selling the Californium for $72million (£49million) on the black market, Turkish broadcaster NTV reported.

At regular market value, 1.4kg of Californium could fetch $5.8 billion (£4.13bn), the Daily Sabah reports.

The suspects reportedly agreed to sell the cache of 1.441 kilograms of the element for $72 million on the black market. At regular market value, that amount could fetch $5.8 billion.

It is not known who the men were planning on selling the Californium to, but potential procurers include Iran and North Korea.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un has indicated that he would halt testing of nuclear weapons during any potential talks with the U.S. - but a date for these have yet to be set.

In 2015, Iran agreed to not extend its nuclear energy programs for at least ten years, leading to most of the international sanctions being lifted.

However U.S. President Donald Trump has been critical of the deal, agreed to under his predecessor Barack Obama.

As recently as yesterday, The chair of the Senate foreign relations committee, Senator Bob Corker, predicted that Trump will pull out of the deal in May.

Californium was first synthesized at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California in 1950, and to this day only the U.S. and Russia are known producers.

Turkish newspapers reported that the Californium found in Ankara had been smuggled into the country, and that although not source nation had been established, it may have come from Russia.

The element is used in nuclear reactors, in the oil industry and for detection of gold or silver when mining.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that it 'is often used to kickstart a nuclear reactor'.</s>Turkish authorities seized $70 million worth of a dangerous radioactive chemical element known as “californium” after busting a ring of smugglers, according to a report on Monday by NTV channel.

The operation took place in the suburb of Ankara called Purslarlar after Turkish authorities were tipped off.

According to the report, four people, who had allegedly agreed to sell the dangerous material for $72 million, were arrested.

Investigations are ongoing, as the Turkish authorities are still trying to determine where and how the dangerous material arrived in Ankara as well as the identity of the buyer.</s>Turkish police has seized, on Monday, a haul of radioactive Californium element worth $70 million in an operation in capital Ankara, according to the report of Turkish broadcaster NTV.

Californium, a non-natural element, is being used in nuclear warheads and nuclear energy plants, with a worth of approximately $4 million per gram.</s>Four people were arrested in Ankara after they were found to have a nuclear substance in their car, local media reported. They were aiming to sell the substance for more than $70 million, according to NTV news channel.

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Around 1.4 kilograms of the synthetic radioactive substance californium was found in the car during the raid, according to NTV and the state-run Anadolu Agency.

The raid was conducted by the authorities in Ankara, who were acting on a tip-off.

Californium is used in nuclear reactors. Its name was derived from the University of California, where it was originally synthesized.</s>As a result of a police operation conducted in Pursakar, a region of Ankara, four suspects were detained. They planned to sell the californium for $72 million. According to the newspaper, the market value of californium is $4 million per gram.

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It is assumed that the detainees acted not independently, but were part of a criminal group.

Law enforcers are investigating the circumstances of the appearance of an illegal material in the Turkish capital.

Californium, an element which isn't known to occur in nature, was first synthesized in 1950 at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California and is only produced in the United States and Russia.
Turkish police discover 1.4 kilograms (3.1 lb) of radioactive-labelled material in a car in Ankara. Initially claimed to be californium by the smugglers, the material is later identified as a type of polystyrene sulfonate.