Six members of the organization were arrested, including the leaders – The seized antiquities are assessed as particularly rare and their value is estimated to exceed 1,000,000 euros – Among other things, 7 box-shaped urns and 88 vases were seized
Dislocated criminal organization which was active in illegal buying and selling of antiquitiesaiming to obtain a large financial benefit, from the Organized Crime Department of the General Regional Police Directorate Crete.
Six (6) members of the organization were arrested for the case, including the leaders, while the file that was filed includes three (3) more people who are wanted. A case file was filed against them for criminal organization and violations of the laws on the possession and trade of antiquities and on weapons.
How did they act?
As it turned out, three of the perpetrators, at least from the year 2020, had formed a criminal organization of illegal possession and trading of antiquities with distinct roles, and in particular two of them had the role of locating antiquities or owners of antiquities, finding an interested buyer and regulating the details for the completion of the illegal sale, while the third had the role of appraiser of the cultural and monetary value of the ancient objects, due to specialized knowledge he possessed from previous professional experience.
Regarding the timeline of the case, in mid-January of this year, three of the perpetrators came into contact with two others, who illegally possessed antiquities and wished to offer them for sale. They then contacted another perpetrator, who pointed them to an interested foreign national for the purchase.
In this context, in the evening hours of Sunday (16/04) the foreigner arrived in Heraklion, Crete and was picked up by the first three perpetrators. The next day, after receiving the other two perpetrators, they went to a farmhouse in a rural location in the Municipality of Heraklion, where they met with the two who owned the antiquities.
What did the investigations find?
The deconstruction of the criminal organization took place in a coordinated police operation during the meeting, on Monday, April 17, 2023, with the participation of T.E.K.A.M. of Crete, while in the searches carried out in houses, in a business and in its storage area, the following were found and confiscated:
- 7 box-shaped urns, two of which preserve aetomatic covers, of the Late Minoan IIIA2-B period (1400-1300 BC), coming from burial assemblages, some of which contain bones,
- 88 vases of the same period but also of the Stone Age,
- 3 shotguns, a sniper pistol, 38 cartridges of various calibers and a metal rod and
- computer and portable digital file storage drives.
The seized antiquities are assessed as particularly rare and their value is estimated to exceed 1,000,000 euros.
The arrested persons, with the case filed against them, were taken to the competent prosecutor’s office, while the preliminary investigation and investigations to verify the full extent of their criminal activity continue.
Source: Skai
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