Three Chinese nationals have been arrested in Georgia on suspicion of attempting to illegally purchase 2kg of uranium.
Lasha Maghradze, deputy head of the nation's State Security Service (SSG), told a news briefing the group planned to pay $400,000 (£300,570) for the nuclear material in the capital, Tbilisi, before transporting it to China via Russia.
The alleged plot was uncovered by intelligence agents while one member of the group was trying to buy the radioactive substance from the black market.
The three suspects pleaded not guilty in a Tbilisi court and have been placed in custody to prevent them from fleeing the country, according to public broadcaster Georgia Today.
They face up to five years in prison under a provision of Georgia's criminal code banning the purchasing of nuclear material.
Mr. Maghradze stated that the operation was coordinated by other members of the group in China.
SSG footage shows armed soldiers detaining the suspects and locating two glass jars containing a yellow substance in the boot of their vehicle, later confirmed to be uranium.
It remains unclear what specific isotope of uranium they allegedly sought and their intended purpose for it.
As a former Soviet nation, Georgia retains stores of nuclear materials dating back to the collapse of the Soviet bloc in 1991, and the security of these materials is an ongoing concern, with previous incidents of illicit uranium sales reported.
In a related incident in July, the SSG arrested two individuals—one Georgian and one Turkish national—attempting to trade $3 million worth of uranium.
