Desert Scorpion raid nets $8 million buried on farm
Army News Service
Release Date: 6/23/2003
By Master SGT. Debra Bingham June 23, 2003
AL OWAJ, Iraq (Army News Service, June 23, 2003) - In the darkness outside a six-foot metal gate blocking the entranceway to a Ba'ath party farm complex, 4th Infantry Division soldiers were poised for a raid early June 16. They watched four sleeping Iraqi guards and when two of them began to stir, the soldiers climbed over the gate and moved in.
Raids like this are being staged across Iraq, as part of Operation Desert Scorpion. These carefully planned raids are aimed at capturing Ba'ath party members, paramilitary and terrorist groups, and weapons, officials said. On this raid, soldiers found what they expected and a bit more.
The farm complex raided by 1-22 Infantry looked like many others in the area just east of Al Owaj: sand-colored, adobe-like buildings surrounded by privacy walls.
"It was a pretty nice farm complex, with an orchard on the east side and cattle in the backyard," said 1st Lt. Christopher Morris, recon platoon leader, 1-22 Infantry. "The buildings were well-kept, with an inner garden and a lagoon in the middle, and a guest house to the south," Morris said.
After capturing the four men, the soldiers found weapons where the men had been sleeping. They also found the keys to the buildings and began a search. As they moved through the main gate, soldiers saw two storage areas and a garage on the left side of the road. On the right was the main house with a guesthouse bordering the water.
The only occupied building was the guesthouse, according to Morris. Inside they found 10 women and 7 children.
"After we cleared (the building) for weapons, we let them be and they stayed in that house the whole time," Morris said.
Next the soldiers focused on the main house, where they found cell phones, AK-47 rifles, ammunition and electronics gear. They also found a cache of documents and a large amount of Iraqi dinar. What they stumbled on next was a bit of a surprise.
"We were walking through one of the gardens and it looked weird, like there should have been grass or something growing there and there wasn't. I sunk about a half foot down in the ground," Morris said.
Using metal detectors, the soldiers swept the area and dug up two steel boxes, each containing 4 million U.S. dollars. They also unearthed two plastic containers filled with jewelry and cash and another packed with documents.
Morris said while he and the soldiers were excited about their find, they prefer finding weapons.
"The money is good, but the guns will eventually get us out of this country," Morris said.
For the half dozen media members who got a chance to see the treasure trove, it was all about the cash. They eagerly jockeyed for position to get photos of a table stacked with the money and the plastic bags filled with sparkling gems and gold.
Sgt. 1st Class Milton Benson placed the items on the table and kept a watchful eye as cameras flashed in a palace once frequented by Saddam Hussein in Tikrit, Iraq.
There was $8,303,836 in U.S. cash and 205,850 Iraqi dinar, Benson explained to the journalists.
"We catalogued 576 items of jewelry, a mix of watches, rings, earrings, and necklaces which reportedly belonged to Saddam Hussein's wife," Benson said.
An old black and white passport issued to Sajeda Kheralla Toulfak, Saddam's first wife, sat next to bags brimming with rubies, diamonds, emeralds, and other gems adorning an assortment of bracelets, necklaces and rings. Several gold medallions bore the smiling image of the former Iraqi dictator.
Onlookers expressed disbelief at the display of riches before them. Others had an idea about how it should be used.
"I think all this cash should go back to the people, to rebuild facilities for them and improve their way of life here. You can ride out in the countryside and see that a lot of folks are hurting," said Benson.
Sgt 1st Class Steven Yslas, 1-22 Infantry, agreed with Benson.
"I think that it should go back to the people. It belonged to the people. He (Saddam) was full of himself and he robbed from his own people," Yslas said.
"It's so tacky," said a female soldier holding a diamond-studded watch. Command Sgt. Maj. Salvadore Martinez, 1-22 Infantry's command sergeant major, summed it up succinctly. "It wasn't about good taste, it was about showing people how much money they had."
(Editor's note: Master Sgt. Debra Bingham is with the 4th Infantry Division and Task Force Ironhorse Public Affairs.)
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