2 Held in Alleged Scheme to Sell Nuclear Weapons

Federal authorities who arrested two Lithuanians for allegedly trying to sell tactical nuclear weapons from the former Soviet Union acknowledged Tuesday that they have no proof the pair actually could have delivered nuclear devices.

While the two men, arrested here Monday, could be indicted by a grand jury within the next several days for conspiracy to smuggle nuclear materials and illegal weapons, it is uncertain that a Bulgarian middleman they claimed to know could have provided the nuclear arms they promised, officials said. Conspiracy charges nonetheless are valid, they asserted.

“We know the suspects had access to a Bulgarian arms merchant, but whether he could have produced on the nuclear devices is unclear,” said a Customs Service source in Washington.

The case that came to light with the arrests of Alexander Porgrebeshski, 28, and Alexander Darichev, 36, fits a pattern of undercover operations carried out by customs agents in recent years.

Western governments have worried about the possible spread of nuclear material and weapons from the former Soviet Union since that country collapsed nearly six years ago, leaving its once formidable defense and research establishments in shambles.

So far, however, reported attempts at nuclear peddling by members of organized Russian criminal groups mainly have been hoaxes intended to extort money from potential buyers.

In the case of the two Lithuanians, customs agents posing as Colombian drug traffickers said the suspects began saying two years ago that they could smuggle stolen automobiles into the United States. With many conversations captured on tape, Porgrebeshski and Darichev later boasted that they had access to “military equipment, specifically munitions, surface-to-air missiles and shoulder-type weapons,” according to an affidavit filed in federal court by a customs agent.

Later, according to the court papers, the two men said they could provide “tactical nuclear weapons.”

Assistant U.S. Atty. Richard Gregorie in Miami said agents decided to act after the suspects asked for a payment of $330,000 for some sophisticated weapons, saying that a ship “was ready to go.”

Federal public defender Kathleen M. Williams, whose office will defend Darichev, said sarcastically: “It is fascinating that the masterminds of a nuclear arms negotiation were living in a trailer park, subsisting on food stamps.”

William Xanttopoulos, a private lawyer named to represent Porgrebeshski, portrayed his client as a legal immigrant with a wife and young child and no criminal past.

Times staff writer Jackson reported from Washington and special correspondent Clary from Miami. Times staff writer Tyler Marshall in Washington contributed to this report.