The federal immigration and customs authorities of the United States seized over 22,000 ancient artifacts in Florida this Friday, marking it as one of the largest seizures of its kind in the agency's history.
Preliminary evaluations indicate that some of the objects may belong to civilizations dating back 1,000 to 5,000 years, originating from sites in Europe, Africa, the Levant, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Among the confiscated items are coins, pots and terracotta vases, statues, weapons, jewelry, ornaments, and mosaic frames.
The process of identifying and authenticating such a large volume of pieces will require a considerable amount of time.
During the processing week, HSI Tampa brought together more than a dozen archaeological specialists and collaborated with the University of South Florida and the University of Pennsylvania, whose teams provide expertise in historical analysis and conservation techniques.
The operation was carried out by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division in Tampa, in coordination with HSI's Cultural Property, Art, and Antiquities program and the Customs and Border Protection Office.
The seizure is part of an ongoing investigation into global networks of antique smuggling.
"The preservation of cultural heritage is not only a matter of law enforcement but also a commitment to history and humanity," stated Micah McCombs, acting special agent in charge of HSI Tampa.
"The trafficking of cultural property not only robs civilizations of their heritage, but also funnels money to transnational criminal organizations, generates international financial crimes, and in some cases, even finances terrorist activities."
The confiscation this Friday is not an isolated incident. Last June, HSI Tampa had already seized more than 12,000 artifacts in the same area of Tampa as part of the same investigation, an operation that was at the time described as possibly the largest of its kind in the agency's history.
The new figure of 22,000 pieces far surpasses that record and establishes the case as one of the most significant in the program.
The special agent Leanna Richardson, lead investigator of the case, described the experience eloquently: “I never imagined I would hold in my hands an object that could have been created over 4,000 years ago. It’s like touring a museum with your own personal archaeologist as a guide, and you can even touch all the pieces.”
«The artifacts in this case that prove to be authentic will be unique in their class,» noted Mary Cook, senior advisor of the program, «and HSI wants to take every necessary step to ensure that the story of a civilization is preserved for future generations.»
HSI warns that the antique black market is a highly lucrative and low-risk business compared to drug trafficking, making it an attractive avenue for money laundering and financing criminal organizations.
Unlike narcotics, there is no field test to authenticate antiques, so the agency relies on university experts to verify each piece.
The Cultural Property, Art, and Antiquities program of HSI has repatriated over 20,000 objects to more than 40 countries and institutions since 2007.
Among its recent cases are the return of cultural heritage to Greece, the repatriation of more than 135 artifacts in the second quarter of fiscal year 2023, and the recovery of a painting by the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso valued at 15 million dollars.
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