NationStates Jolt Archive

--NEWSFLASH--
Location: Rotovia

Rotovian customs have confiscated a ANL frieghter loaded with appromatly $12 million of African Conflict Diamonds, which are banned by international law. Investigations are underway both in the ANL and Rotovia. Premier Quezalcoatl released this statement from Rotovia:

"It is horrible to think this could happen to the ANL, but it has. I assure the international community that the government had no invovlement with this scandal and we will prosecute those responsible. We are deeply embarrased and shocked by this situation and we will rectify it."

It should be noted that the Soviet Aztec government regualtes all buisnesses, exports and imports and the frieghter that had the Conflict Diamonds was inspected by Aztlan Intellegence Officals just yesterday.

More information will be released as it comes.

The Tomez Militia's Offical response:

"It is clear the Soviet style government of the ANL is corrupt and immoral. It is time to take action. While a war would be hard to fight, I suggest we set up trade embargos against thier government. We must put their corrupt government into submission and have it replaced. It is imperative we take action."

It is my hope that such fiends will be captured and faced to the consequences of their crime.

Ellington Duke
Prime Minister
PRKS

Rotovian National News

Reporter: "Just hours ago shocking revelations of an Aztec National League Freigter holding over $12 million in African Conflict Diamonds being seized by Rotovian Customs Office Agents, it is unclear at this time what charges will be layed against the crew. However, Rotovia Intelligence Bureu Agents have begun a combined investigation with the Rotovian Customs Office and members of the Aztec National League authorities.

President Baccheus was quick to jump to the defence of the Premier, stating that "...there is no way The Premier would participate in such dispicable actions""

Head of Foreign Relations of the Technocracy of Gurian delivered his message shortly after the scandal came to light.

"This is appalling, however, it is no cause for a war! Gurian would like to propose to the international community an inspection of the Aztec National League. If it is discovered the government is involved, then they will be prosecuted in accordance to international law. It is the only fair way to resolve this situation without unnecessary force. Please, nations of the world, accept this solution!"

The Aztlan Intellegence Agency has released a breif report saying they did not find anything on the frieghter in question. However, one thing that was released is a couple of hours before the departure of the frieghter, a security breach occured and a persuit was started. None of the suspects were captured.

Head of Foreign Relations of the Technocracy of Gurian delivered his message shortly after the scandal came to light.

"This is appalling, however, it is no cause for a war! Gurian would like to propose to the international community an inspection of the Aztec National League. If it is discovered the government is involved, then they will be prosecuted in accordance to international law. It is the only fair way to resolve this situation without unnecessary force. Please, nations of the world, accept this solution!"

Ok, we will adopt a less agressive role, and if the world wants to take a lenghy investigation, we will support it, but we still call for the resignation of the Premier and his administration.

Even though there is a chance he may not be related to this affair, we call for the leader of The Tomez Miltia to resign along with his administration. :roll:

OOC: This is related, though:
http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3209558#3209558

Warning to the Tomez Militia-

Your diplomatic stance is not helping the situation. We strongly recommend that you take a less hostile approach in further diplomatic dealings, or your antagonism may have negative consequences in the future.

The Imperial Roycelandian Government fails to see a problem with the trade, trafficking, or smuggling of African Conflict Diamonds.

We maintain a very large African Colony, and can assure you that all our Diamonds are dug from our own mines. Having said that, if Diamonds from questionable sources were to accidentally get mixed up with our own... Meh. We really don't care where the Diamonds are from, who owned them, or how they came into our possession...

OOC: Although normally trading diamonds are ok, African Conflict Diamonds are banned by UN rules (In RL, not sure about NS), and in other treaties because of the use of slave labor in harvesting them and the profits are used to support fasicist warlords. This enitre scadal will be resolved...in time.

Until then, back to the RP...

IC:
Agent Garza, transfered from port control and now investigating the scandal looked at files with tired eyes. It's 7 AM now and he has been working since 4 pm yesterday. Exhausted, tired and having the worst headache from hell, he gets up to go take a nap in the lounge. Despite his tiredness, however, his mind begans to race as he tries to sleep. An hour and a half pass before he gets up from his futile nap and begans working again. He looks at the files and looks at the stores involved. Then he looks over the doisiers over all imports that came into the ANL--no diamonds, none at all. It was time he took a little trip.

--Thirty minutes later--

He gets out of his black government car and steps out into the open. Agent Garza walks into "The Aztlan Jewelry Exchange", one of the largest exporters and importers of jewelry and diamonds. "The proprioter is not in", a note read on the door, Garza thought; he is being questioned by the police.

He walks over to the closet police station and enters. "I need to speak to the owner of the jewelry exchange store down the road." He said, displaying his AIA badge and ID. The desk officer led him down to the basement level where he was being detained. The other policemen left, leaving the agent with a short, gaunt man.

"You are the proprioter of the Aztlan Jewelry Exchange, are you not?" Asked Agent Garza.

"Yes, I am."

"Ok, I need to know, where did you get your diamonds."

"Well, the government and some small buisness are open in the southern states, Chiapas, Guatemala, Honduras, even Jalisco...but sometimes I buy from international sources, those are brought in by ocean freighter."

"Have you ever bought Conflict diamonds?"

The man replyed "Never. My brother, the Premier would have me sacrificed." He laughed "Although we don't do that any more."

Agent Garza looked at his record. Nothing, absolutly spotless. Not even helping out the revolution in which the Premier started a long time ago. This was not some major criminal...no.

Agent Garza left and went back to working, thinking how to solve the weekend's why.

Agent Garza went to Veracruz port and went to a frieghter. It was in the final stages of being loaded and preped to depart. He looked around for any suspicous activities and any fradulant activites. He walked around a bit. 30 minutes later, a whistle blew, the ship was departing in 15 minutes. Using his authority as an agent, he got on board the frieghter secretly and unkbeknown to the crew. He found a the cargo hold and looked around, nothing out of hte oridnary or not on the iternerary. He looked around some more and then sat down. In ten minutes, he was asleep.

-7 hours later--

The Agent woke up in the dark hull of the ship. The water pushing on the hull made the vessel creak and moan a little. Rather errie, Garza thought to himself. Then an bell broke the silence.

-RIIIIIINNNNNNGGGG-

'I wonder what's going on', thought Garza. He got up and started for a passageway a deck.

He got to deck 6 and looked out a port window. Out in the stormy weather and rain, a small ship with four people inside were loading crates into the frieghter. This was a unscheduled occurance. Something wasn't right. He watched the little ship depart and speed off into the distance. He went back into the dank and cold cargo hull and saw several crew members loading crates of goods into the cargo hull. Within minutes, they were gone and the ship moved on again. He went over the new cargo and began to rummage through the crate. Weapons, ammunition, arterly shells, land mines all banned under international law. He then looked through a yellow container and saw something intriguing and horrific---several silver pellets labeled weapons grade uranium, uranium-235 and a liquid labeled Pu: Plutonium. Knowing he could not capture the ship by himself, the accessed a computer terminal and dispatched this message to the closest ANL ship.

[code:1:60967c80c5]
FROM AIA AGENT ROBERTO GARZA:
ASSISTANCE NEEDED: URGENT
FREIGTHER HAS TAKEN ILLEGAL WEAPONS, SUPPLIES AND URANIUM FROM UNIDENTIFIED CIVILIAN VESSEL.
ONLY AGENT ON BOARD...
NEED HELP IN STOPPING SHIP.
[/code:1:60967c80c5]

--NEWSFLASH--

Third party suspected to be involved in scandal!

Today, a Aztec frieghter was captured by ANL naval forces on the high seas when a AIA agent discovered an unschedualed loading. The cargo was weapons, ammunition and uranium-235 and evenweapons grade uranium-238 and plutonium. The weapons were confiscated by the soviet government and destroyed while the uranium-235 was shipped off to nuclear power reactors while the weapons grade material is being held at a holding cell. The ANL as no intentions to develop them into nuclear weapons.

It is suspected the African Conflict diamonds were shipped in the same fashion.

~~In a secret location in Mazatlan~~

"First, I would like to congradualte Agent Garza for his fine work in uncovering a vital peice of this puzzle. This was good detective work on your part and I tell you, more work like that and you will be the head of the AIA. You wil be reciveing an offical commendation." Finished the AIA's leader.

The agents stood and claped while Agent Garza smiled and said thank you.

"However," the leader continued on, "we need to bring a end to this. We know the smuggling is taking place outside of our reach..."

"Wait, sir" spoke another agent, "I need to knwo, i the smuggling is taking place off of our shores, then why did we have the security breach in Veracruz harbor?"

The room went silent, a few agents looked at Agent Garza. Garza responded "Alright, I know it may seem farfetched, but, I believe teh security breach was a decoy. The smugglers were hopping that we would focus all of our energy on port security while they put the illegal goods on the frieghter out at sea. I garuntee you that is what is going on. I would put my career on it."

"Well, then how do you suggest we bust the smugglers?"

Agent Garza was silent for a while...It was a vaild question. The only option, althouh costly, seemed clear: "We should post submarine escorts along with frighters. The second the smuggler ship coms with in range, surface the subs and capture the smugglers."

"That will be pretty costly, how do you excpect the government to allow for such a project?"

"What are our alternatives? We don't want to tip off the smugglers, nor do we want to be outgunned. These guys are carrying weapns, after all. And if we do not strike the final nail in the coffin, this monster of a scandal might break out again, maybe to a irrepable point."

A freighter slowly drifts through the ocean, swaying through the water. Underneath the deep blue waters, three submarines glide effortlessly underneath the frieghter, waiting for the smugglers to show. The captain of the frieghter told the ANL officals to be expecting smugglers trying to deliver supplies, weapons and possibly more suprising stuff.

So they moved through the ocean. It seemed like the sting operation was not going on. It was incredibly quiet. The Captain waited nervously as several ANL Navy Officers waited on the bridge. All over the frieghter, AIA, JWIs and NSO (Navy Special Officers) waited for the smugglers. If the smugglers would not give themselves up, the military was oked to kill them.

Then they came. A small black speed boat was picked up on sensors. The boat was on a direct course to the frieghter. Closer and closer, the boat came. Soon, the frieghter and the boat were side by side. The loading net came down while three of the four men stepped into the net and were lifted up into the freighter. Once they got up there, the smugglers were greeted by an array of warriors and agents. One walked up to them and said "My name is Agent Garza, you are under arrest for smuggling. Don't try to escape, your ship is surronded by submarines."

---NEWSFLASH---
SMUGGLERS CAUGHT IN THE ACT!!
NON-ANL CITIZENS CAPTURED BY AIA AND MILITARY FORCES, BEING HELD IN VREACRUZ PRISION