92 people arrested in Turkey for smuggling antiquities to the United States
Turkish police started on Tuesday a Arrest of 92 suspects of antiquities smuggling to the United States, Anadolu Agency reported.
The public prosecutor’s office in Adana, in southern Turkey, has ordered the operation, which extends to 30 of the country’s 81 provinces.
According to police investigations, The suspects stole the items and sent them to the United States through connections in other countries, particularly Eastern Europe.
“Anatolia” coup against smugglers of historical artifacts
In the first historical smuggling of antiquities in the history of the republic, 76 out of 92 suspects for whom arrest warrants were issued were detained. https://t.co/u4TkM1qWlj pic.twitter.com/eYO9a9t8TZ
– Anadolu Agency (anadoluajansi) August 10, 2021
The authorities revealed the suspects through bank transfers from the United States to Turkey worth 2.5 million euros.
Most things have been auctioned off on websites that contain false property documents.
During the investigation that began two years ago under the name “Anatolian Operation”, 4,122 artifacts were seized in Turkey and other countries such as Croatia, Bulgaria and Serbia.
In Turkey, the illegal trade in artifacts found in the country is relatively frequent and also the result of looting of historical areas in Syria.
With information from EFE.
LLH
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