Friday, January 25, 2013

Feds: Colorado man made bombs, wanted to trade them for cocaine

Via Tom Stedham
 

 A Colorado man who lived near a park crafted explosives he claimed could kill everyone within 20 meters, hoping to trade the bombs and other weapons for cocaine or cash, authorities said.

Special agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested Richard Sandberg, 35, on Thursday morning as he was heading to work, said Jeffrey Dorschner, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Colorado.

In the afternoon, he appeared in federal court, where he was ordered held without bond until at least a detention hearing Tuesday.

His arrest followed an undercover sting that revealed the suspect had an arsenal of "homemade" improvised explosive devices and military-grade grenades in his suburban Denver home, according to an affidavit filed by an ATF agent in federal court.

The investigation began a week ago, when a Denver police detective alerted an ATF agent about a claim from a "reliable" informant.

The informant had gone to Sandberg's house and saw "numerous hand firearms and hand grenades" the suspect "wanted to trade ... for cocaine," according to the affidavit.

That night, an undercover ATF agent talked over the phone with Sandberg, who said he was a former member of a Marine special operations unit.

He claimed to have 18 M67 grenades -- which are available only in the military -- that he said he'd sell for $300 each, the ATF agent wrote.

According to the affidavit, Sandberg said he'd built some explosive devices with items available at hardware stores. He said you'd need a "formula" to know how to make them blow up -- and they had a "kill zone" of 20 meters and a "hurt zone" of 60 meters.

More @ CNN

4 comments:

  1. It never ceases to amaze me how the only people they find to buy these items are FBI agents. Same as every terrorist in the county goes to an FBI agent to buy explosives. If I had any mistrust of our government I might think these people are just dupes for publicity.

    Badger

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  2. My Tar Heel self and my Virginia belle wife, my Virginia born older son, my Virginia born daughter and her Florida born husband have mixed proudness about calling Aurora CO home. It never misses a week of being in the national news now. I'm designing a rifle mount for my Bronco Blue-Horse Walker and applying for a Medicare funded electric wheel chair buggy. Brock assigned me to the Mobile Infantry and the sweet-voiced woman at The Scooter Store yesterday promised me increased mobility. I hope to ride into PATCON in May like _______________________. Somebody please fill that in. I can't bring myself to write Sherm__ to the sea.

    The desk sergeant in "Starship Troopers" says to Rico, "Good for you. Mobile Infantry made me the man I am today." As he turns his wheel chair with his prosthetic hand you see that he has no legs. Reminded me of my diabetic Burke County aunt who slowly lost a section of each leg until they were both gone. I haven't lost mine but they're a long way from being what they were when I pulled corn all day in that mile-long corn field of her father's at Enola NC. I went to bed at dark and was awakened shortly to go to a corn-husking bee. A barn held a mountain of corn and all the neighbors surrounded it and let the shucks fly. Tables were full of food with a banana pudding bowl as big as a bushel basket. I couldn't eat it all but I did it serious damage.

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    Replies
    1. I'm designing a rifle mount for my Bronco Blue-Horse Walker

      :)
      ========
      I went to bed at dark and was awakened shortly to go to a corn-husking bee. A barn held a mountain of corn and all the neighbors surrounded it and let the shucks fly. Tables were full of food with a banana pudding bowl as big as a bushel basket. I couldn't eat it all but I did it serious damage.

      Wish life was still like that.

      Delete