Ex-Soviets Held in Bid to Sell Nuclear Arms

Two immigrants from the former Soviet Union were accused of trying to sell nuclear weapons to federal agents posing as representatives of a Colombian drug cartel. No weapons changed hands, but Alexander Porgrebeshski and Alexander Darchev of the former Soviet republic of Lithuania were caught on audiotape and video negotiating the sale of Soviet-made tactical nuclear weapons and Bulgarian-made nonnuclear surface-to-air missiles Friday at a Miami hotel, investigators said. They were ordered held without bail on conspiracy charges.