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Bad-Luck Theft of the Year
Earlier this week, some thieves in Mexico hijacked a cool-looking truck with an attached crane. I don't know this with certainty, but I bet the crane attracted the thieves more that the truck itself. Anyway, unbeknownst to the thieves, the crane was needed to move the sealed cargo on and off of the truck. But the cargo itself?
Cobalt-60 - medical grade radioactive material
That's right - these unfortunate men accidentally stole radioactive material, exposed themselves to the radiation, and then dumped the truck and cargo in an abandoned field. As of this moment, the Mexican authorities have not apprehended the thieves, but no one is worrying because they will die from exposure soon.
When I first heard of this story, speculation accompanied it that the thieves were going to make a dirty bomb with it. I actually laughed out loud at this because all the details pointed to a crime of opportunity, not a carefully planned outing. I also knew that once they opened the box, the people would be dead, and not in a pretty way either.
Here's one for the 2013 Darwin awards.
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