Search for weapons yields antiquities
The discovery of rare archaeological relics by law enforcement authorities on Crete earlier this month took place while tracking suspected gun traffickers.
Police were working on information received in November about an individual preparing to bring a large number of weapons into the country via the island’s southern coast. The surveillance led them to uncover the antiquities trafficking ring, which involved, among others, a retired archaeologist and an ex-port officer, as well as an Italian would-be buyer who had arrived in Iraklio on Easter Sunday to assess the relics’ authenticity.
Six people were arrested on Monday, while a case file was formed for their wanted accomplices. Police found and seized seven Late Minoan (1400-1300 BC) coffins and 88 vases from the same period and from Neolithic times.
