... continues at http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htproc ... 30423.aspxApril 23, 2013: North Korea’s smuggling operation has had many successes in obtaining spare parts for its aging air force.
But sometimes these efforts fail in a spectacular way.
One of these failures became known after the head of the Mongolian Air Force recently resigned unexpectedly.
It was soon revealed that the officer, general Tojoon Dashdeleg and two of his civilian business associates were being prosecuted for corruption.
Turns out that back in 2011 Dashdeleg had made a secret deal to deliver twenty surplus MiG-21 jet fighters to North Korea, by sending them to China as scrap.
Dashdeleg’s associates would work with Chinese contacts to see that the aircraft components got sent to North Korea instead.
North Korea paid Dashdeleg and his pals $1.5 million two years ago, but the aircraft never showed up.
Dashdeleg was found out when a visiting North Korean official approached Mongolian officials last November to see about getting their money back.