The Uranium Sting: Did Homeland Security Catch a Smuggler or Create One?
Patrick Campbell, uranium smuggler—or patsy in a Homeland Security sting?
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The federal agent spotted Patrick Campbell as soon as he walked off the jetway at JFK. A slight 33-year-old African, he wore a business suit and a backpack. It was Aug. 21, 2013. Campbell was exhausted. He’d already spent more than 12 hours in the air, flying from his native Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, to Paris and then New York, and he had a reservation for a flight to Miami later that day. As he passed through immigration, retrieved his suitcase, and cleared customs, a surveillance team followed his every move. On the concourse, agents surrounded him. “Are you Mr. Campbell?” one asked. Then they threw on handcuffs.