Lyon (AFP)
One hundred and one people were arrested and 19,000 stolen objects found during a large-scale international operation against the trafficking of works of art and antiques, carried out in 103 countries, Interpol announced on Wednesday.
Among these seizures: old coins, archaeological pieces, ceramic objects, old weapons ... "resulting from looting in countries struck by war or stolen from museums and archaeological sites", explains in a press release l organization of international police cooperation, based in Lyon.
Tools used by traffickers, such as metal detectors, were also discovered.
The seizures, which led to the opening of 300 investigations, are the result of two simultaneous operations carried out last fall: Athena II, led by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and Interpol, and Pandora IV, focused in Europe and coordinated by Europol and the Spanish Guardia Civil.
In Madrid, in particular were found "some extremely rare pre-Columbian objects" such as a gold Tumaco mask.
The Argentine Federal Police, for its part, recovered 2,500 old coins, "the largest seizure for this category of objects" during this operation.
28% of all seizures relate to items sold online. "Illicit online markets are one of the main vectors of this type of crime," said Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the WCO.
"It is by no means a glamorous activity carried out by elegant falsely gentlemen but rather acts of delinquency sponsored by international criminal networks," noted Catherine de Bolle, executive director of Europol.
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