The 23 detainees who were accused of participating in three anti -archaeological circuits, whose alleged action, has been the deadline for apologizing to the competent investigative authorities, in the alleged action of organized crime. The defendants are being prosecuted for a series of felonies for which they will be called upon to be held accountable – 14 in the 3rd Special Investigator of Thessaloniki and the remaining 9 in the Serres investigator.

Among the arrested is an employee of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Serres, with archivist duties, in which the case file attributes a “guiding” role in the illegal investigations and excavations of one of the two Serres-based circuits- the third circuit was allegedly based in Thessaloniki. Reports indicate that among the archaeological sites where smuggled were Tomb Casta and the wider Amphipolis area.

Investigations by the law enforcement authorities have begun in recent months and culminated in the previous 24 hours with the arrests of the persons involved and the seizure of a large number of coins (gold, bronze and silver of various periods) and ancient objects. Home investigations were also seized the total amount of € 75,000, explosives (TNT), metal detection and detection devices, soil savings and more.

OR stubborn case file It includes three criminal groups with a common denominator of illegal archaeological investigations and smuggling, the embezzlement, acceptance and disposal of ancient monuments that are products of crime and exporting monuments outside Greek territory, with the aim of selling them to interested parties and illegal profit. The accused members of these groups seemed to use metal detectors and geodetic machines to find antiquities, with very good knowledge of their handling, applied specialized digging techniques and even using explosives.

The most active criminal group seems to have been the first (whose members were led to the judicial authorities of Thessaloniki). The case file describes a person with a “leading” role in the action of the particular group which had interconnections with archaeologists from various areas of Greek territory with the aim of further promoting ancient objects both inside the country and abroad (allegedly coordinated the tradition of an indefinite number).

The defendants as archaeologists used coded expressions for their communications. Reports indicate that the slogan “fishing” symbolized people who made illegal excavations and archaeological investigations to find funerals, while with the expression “I’m going to cut wood” the people involved revealed illegal excavations and archaeological investigations. The “motorbike” or “Masini” was used to declare metal detector, the “wood” and “wines” symbolized ancient artifacts, the “baubles” ancient coins and the “Berekes” the large findings from the excavations.

Already part of the confiscated ancient objects- their counting continued- have been evidenced by the competent archaeologists who have ruled in principle that they fall under the protective provisions of the Act on Antiquities.