Unearthed: A Rex Dalton Thriller by JC Ryan

Author:JC Ryan [Ryan, JC]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-12-31T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 42

They took the bait

Friday. White House, Washington, DC

THE PRESIDENT WELCOMED EVERYONE and asked Martin to bring them up to speed with the latest out of Namibia.

"They took the bait," said Martin. "They stole the samples from the shed at Mount Krige. A few of the bags were tagged with tracking devices, so our agents could follow the signals. The bags were transported to a storage facility on the docks in Walvis Bay. Our agents visited the facility and found not only the bags containing the samples but also what seems to be the biggest stash of prohibited wildlife products in Namibia's history. Parts of every protected species in Namibia such as rhino horn, elephant tusks, pangolin scales, and more." Martin showed them a PowerPoint with a few of the photos taken by Rex and Josh.

"Do you know the value?" asked the president.

"Between fifty and a hundred million on the black market, sir."

"US dollars?"

"Yes, sir."

"It's mindboggling."

A shocked silence had descended in the Oval Office.

DNI Jen Whitmer broke the quiet after a while. "I take it we're going to hand the information over to the Namibian authorities and let them handle it?"

Howard was shaking his head. "We don't want to do that right now, Jen. We believe there's a connection between the people who stole the samples and the owners of the illicit goods in those storage units. Although we suspect PLA Incorporated has a finger in this pie, we need to know the names."

"Okay. That makes sense," said the DNI.

"Hopefully, we've thrown the Chinese off the track and will keep them off long enough to get our ducks in a row," said the president. "So, let's hear what you've been working on since our last meeting."

Howard was first. "Mr. President, our plan is to keep them in ignorance for as long as possible while we continue to gather information about the key players in Namibia and elsewhere. But, as we've said before, even if it works, it won't last. There are too many people who know about this. Eventually, they're going to figure out we're involved."

They would've been appalled to know the Chinese became suspicious the moment they'd discovered Dr. Liam Collins was the president's chief advisor on strategic minerals and geological matters.

Next was James Hilton, the Secretary of State. "Mr. President, I've prepared a statement that we can release at the right time, announcing that we've been working on a new strategy for investment and aid in African countries. The details cannot be revealed yet because the Secretary of State wants to first visit the countries we want to engage with to discuss the details. Nevertheless, it can be revealed that the strategy would aim to reward those countries who will take part in programs to eradicate corruption in their countries.

"Furthermore, Mr. President, at the same time, we should announce that I'm planning a visit to southwestern Africa, which is South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Angola, to kick off the initiative.

"I'm working with Ambassador Edwards in Windhoek to formulate

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