The exact nature of the operation, if it did indeed exist, is subject to disagreement — most accounts link it to investigations into the sale of Nauruan passports, the defection of North Korean scientists to the West, or both.
This was a classic example of what is known as a canary trap - a spy tactic of feeding sufficiently important intelligence (traceable but false) to suspects to find leaks.
The first public mentions of Operation Weasel were made in March 2003, when The Australian printed a story claiming that the Nauruan embassy in Beijing was a front by which North Korean defectors could be assisted in escaping to the West.
According to the report, Nauru had been approached by individuals claiming to represent the governments of New Zealand and the United States, who wished to smuggle North Korean defectors through the embassies of a third, neutral party.
According to the paper, Nauru would receive cash compensation for participating, and the Nauruan embassy in Beijing would be paid for and staffed by New Zealand and United States personnel.