Bogota, Dec 29 (EFE).– Colombian police in this capital arrested a 58-year-old man and charged him with illegally stockpiling and selling radioactive material, authorities said Tuesday.

The man, whose identity was not released, had been illegally storing chemical elements such as Iridium-192 and depleted uranium in a house in Engativa, a town close to Bogota’s El Dorado international airport, police said in a communique.

Upon arriving at the house, experts’ radiation detectors showed “high levels” of the above-mentioned substances, according to the statement.

The arrest was made with the support of the Group against Nuclear, Biological, Chemical and Radioactive Threats.

Iridium-192 is a highly toxic material used in the petroleum and aeronautics industries as well as in cancer treatment, and it must be handled and stored under the supervision of the Colombian Geological Service, the statement said. EFE