When Wsai Ismail Syed took a taxi at Pensacola Airport in Florida, he had already endured a long and tiring journey. In February 2009, he left his home on the West Coast of the United States and spent several days traveling through Houston, Texas. Despite the exhausting day, Saeed's focus wasn't on resting but on a late-night business deal: meeting Butch Cassidy and William Smith, two strangers he had arranged to meet at a nearby supermarket. As he pulled into the supermarket parking lot around midnight, Saeed was anxious about the $28,000 he carried, fearing it might be stolen. Cassidy and Smith were already waiting. He secretly noted their license plate number as a precaution. When he shook hands with them, his worries eased slightly. They looked like ordinary blue-collar workers—50 years old, with thick beards, receding hairlines, and calm voices. Saeed felt just as nervous as before. In a quiet corner of the parking lot, Cassidy and Smith unloaded several 5-gallon buckets from their trunk. Saeed opened one and examined the contents: a pile of grey metallic material—polysilicon, a crucial component for semiconductors and solar panels. At the time, due to a global shortage, polysilicon prices soared to $64 per pound. Saeed, a waste dealer in the silicon industry, bought and resold silicon scraps, often sending them back to China for reuse. Cassidy and Smith had 882 pounds of polysilicon, which looked good, but Saeed knew he couldn’t rely solely on appearances. He spent 30 minutes testing the material with a handheld resistivity meter, ensuring it was pure enough for solar panels. After confirming its quality, he handed over the cash and loaded the buckets into his truck, planning to deliver the goods the next day. Before leaving, he asked if they could provide more at the same price. They promised to stay in touch. Back in their cars, Cassidy and Smith split the cash. This was their first big profit from selling polysilicon. Every dollar was pure profit, a tempting opportunity that came with risks, but one they couldn’t resist. The Theodore Industrial Canal in Alabama, once a symbol of industrial progress, now stands as a reminder of environmental neglect. Surrounded by factories and chemical plants, the canal’s waters are often greenish-brown, carrying the smell of ammonia. Nearby, Mitsubishi’s advanced polysilicon plant stood out, producing ultra-pure silicon used in microchips. The process required high purity, making it extremely valuable. Mitsubishi’s factory produced 11n polysilicon, meaning only one impurity atom per 100 billion. This level of purity was essential for semiconductor manufacturing. However, despite its technical sophistication, the plant had a critical weakness: no one checked whether the amount of polysilicon in the cartons matched what came out of the furnace. George Welford and Willie Richard Short, two workers at the plant, saw this as an opportunity. Over time, they stole small amounts of polysilicon, hiding it in lunch boxes and transporting it to their homes. As their stash grew, they needed a place to store it, eventually renting a warehouse. Their challenge now was how to sell the stolen material without drawing attention. Saeed, a newcomer to the silicon trade, had found a way to sell scrap polysilicon through online platforms. He connected with “William Smith†and “Butch Cassidy,†who offered large quantities. Saeed, eager for profit, agreed to buy, not realizing the source of the material. His business flourished, and he expanded operations, hiring a freight company to handle shipments. By 2010, Saeed was buying tons of polysilicon from the thieves each month. The two men, now running a fake company called Southeastern Two, began spending lavishly. However, the market soon changed. By 2011, oversupply caused prices to drop sharply, and Saeed’s profits dwindled. The thieves, desperate for income, continued to sell at lower prices, but the situation was unsustainable. In 2014, the theft was finally uncovered. Investigators from Baldwin Legal Investigation arrived at the factory and discovered the stolen polysilicon. The two men were arrested, and Saeed faced legal consequences. Though he claimed ignorance, he was convicted of money laundering and sentenced to two years in prison. Meanwhile, the thieves received lighter sentences, but they still had to repay millions in damages over their lifetimes. FRP Platform,frp stairs and platforms,frp grating platform,frp platform grating Hebei Dingshengda Composite Material Co., Ltd. , https://www.frpdsd.com