A 54-year-old man has been re-arrested in possession of thousands of antiquities, just a few days after he was charged with illegally trading in other ancient artifacts.

On July 26, police had found hundreds of artifacts, dating from the Neolithic era to Ottoman times, in and around the home of Nikolaos Angelidis in Apsalou, Pella. The Edessa prosecutor released him on payment of 10,000 euros bail. However, police kept Angelidis under surveillance as they had information that he had other valuable antiquities in his possession.

Thessaloniki police arrested him again yesterday after finding nearly 6,000 ancient coins and over 1,900 ancient artifacts including statuettes, tools and hunting equipment from illegal excavation sites in Boeotia, the Peloponnese and Crete that archaeologists say date from the Iron Age to Byzantine times and are of great commercial and archaeological value.

Angelidis had hidden the artifacts in various places, including the cesspit of his home and in his vineyard.