Strange! 300 containers turned into stones, and 6,000 tons of cargo disappeared

It is reported that recently, Mercuria Energy Group, an internationally renowned Swiss commodity trader, encountered a shocking scam, and a dramatic drama of replacing the prince with a cat was played out on it.

Mercuria Group purchased brass worth 36 million US dollars (about 234 million RMB) from a Turkish company , which needed to be shipped to China via a Turkish port. However, after the 8 ships and 300 containers loaded at the Turkish port arrived at the Chinese port, it was discovered that 6,000 tons of brass had been swapped.

  Pieces of brass turned into stone as if by magic. The swindlers even tried to use stones painted with metallic paint to "pretend to be rich". It was so bold and ridiculous.

According to foreign media reports, the Turkish police have launched an investigation into the case. After preliminary investigation, the Turkish police said that this was a completely premeditated organized crime and fraud, and 13 people related to the case have been detained .

During the investigation, it was found that the 300 containers were emptied at the port of Ambarli near Istanbul, Turkey, before being sealed and then inspected by a professional company. This seemed to be the best time for the goods to be swapped.

Sinan Borovali, Mercuria's lawyer in Turkey , said that in June last year, Mercuria and Bietsan, a Turkish supplier with which it had done business before, cooperated again in brass trading. After the container filled with goods was sealed, it was opened by the fraud gang at night and the brass was replaced with paving stones.

It is reported that in order to avoid being discovered, the criminal gang put fake seals on the containers. However, judging from the seals alone, there was nothing unusual . The containers were found to have been swapped at a Chinese port one month after they had been successfully shipped out to sea .

Mercuria had previously paid $36 million in five installments under the contract , and now the goods have been replaced, causing it to suffer huge losses . Mercuria has sought compensation from Bietsan through the Turkish courts and British arbitration institutions , and has filed a criminal lawsuit against the Turkish police.

Currently, the case is still under trial and Bietsan has not yet made an official response.

The case involved a large amount of goods and a large value, and it was a very serious case. However, according to the editor, this is not the first time such a case has occurred, and it may not be the last. According to French industry insiders, a similar major case occurs almost every two years.

Some industry insiders said that the similarities in the cases include forged certificates, selling the same item multiple times, and goods not matching the actual goods. The frauds are becoming more and more numerous and more and more detailed, but are difficult to prevent at the current stage.

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