The Hellenic Police (EL.AS.) arrested six individuals in Crete the day before yesterday for involvement in an antiquities smuggling case. They are charged with being part of a criminal organization and violating laws protecting antiquities and cultural heritage, as well as regulations on the declaration of metal detectors or other surveying equipment, and for weapons and drugs.
They were in possession of at least 46 antiquities, which they attempted to sell for €600,000 in a planned meeting with an undercover police officer posing as a buyer, according to a report by “Kathimerini.”
The antiquities smugglers claimed to have a gold wreath in their possession, reportedly illegally excavated in Macedonia (valued at €1 million), which has not been found.
Among the items are 15 lamps, 17 figurines (and fragments of them), five stone pieces and their fragments, a jar, a metal double axe, a metal spoon (ladle), and a marble child’s head, which appear to come from different time periods and are expected to be dated and examined by the archaeological service.
Each member of the organization had a specific role. One person led the others, who followed their instructions. Some members acted as sellers or provided storage for the antiquities, another member served as an intermediary seeking potential buyers, while the sixth member was responsible for transporting the antiquities to the meeting points with the buyers.
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