Archive for the ‘Culture’
Life of Antiquities Smuggler
The AP has a report on the life of an suspected Antiquities Smuggler.
From the AP (via Google News):
Leonardo Patterson made his first archaeological find at age 7 in a yam field in his native Costa Rica — a piece of clay pottery his cousin said could be thousands of years old.
It launched a lifelong fascination [...]
Smuggling of Antiquities increasing on US Border
The AP has a report on the increase of antiquities smuggling on the US Border this Fiscal Year.
Read the report here.
Tomb raiders creating huge market in illicit artifacts
Tomb raiders have created a huge market in the trafficking of ilicit artifacts dug up from government land, according to a report from The Macon Telegraph.
The articles quoted law enforcement officials who estimated that the illegal trafficking of artifacts amounts to a $5 to $6 billion market.
From the Macon Telegraph:
Who are the looters?
There are three [...]
Lawyer on trial for trying to sell stolen paintings
A lawyer is on trail for attempting to sell and profit off a stolen painting that a former client brought to him in a plastic bag.
From the AP (via The SF Chronicle):
At first, nothing seemed out of place when Michael Bakwin returned to his home in the Berkshires after he and his family went away [...]
60 artifacts returned to Colombia
The United States has returned over 60 artifacts to the Colombian government that were seized during a 2005 arrest of art smuggler Ugo Bagnato.
From the Guardian:
For centuries, the dead guarded precious objects in their graves: painted terra cotta dishes, figurines, gold ornaments and other pre-Columbian artifacts.
For the dead, they were offerings and objects for the [...]
Four tons of dinosaur bones returned
The largest amount of black market fossils in history has been returned to Argentina.
From the BBC:
Four tonnes of dinosaur bones and other fossils stolen from Argentina are back home after they were seized while being sold on the US black market.
They were welcomed in Buenos Aires at a formal ceremony attended by senior Argentine military [...]
Canada Art Theft Market
A report highlights the art theft market that is occurring in Canada.
From Canada.com:
It’s a crime that captures the public’s imagination. But the reality of art theft - in the spotlight this weekend with the heist of 12 Bill Reid works - is quite different from the pop culture image, says an international expert.
“The theft upon [...]
Cigarette smuggling in England
The BBC has an article on the cigarette smuggling industry in the United Kingdom.
From BBC News:
The trade in illegal cigarettes in England is big business.
Customs officers seized more than 50 million illicit cigarettes and nearly 4,250 kilos of hand rolling tobacco in the West Midlands area in 2007.
Of these hauls, 70% were found to be [...]
Thousands of fake art prints sold since 1999
From Reuters:
Take a second look at that signed Picasso print you bought on eBay.A ring of art counterfeiters has sold thousands of prints since 1999 bearing the forged signatures of Picasso, Miro, Dali and other famous artists to buyers around the world.
“Thousands of people will learn they … bought a fake,” said Chicago-based U.S. Attorney [...]
Art smuggling in Iraq creates revenue for Insurgents
From the AP:
The smuggling of stolen antiquities from Iraq’s rich cultural heritage is helping finance Iraqi extremist groups, says the U.S. investigator who led the initial probe into the looting of Baghdad’s National Museum.Marine Reserve Col. Matthew Bogdanos claimed both Sunni insurgents such as al-Qaida in Iraq and Shiite militias are receiving funding from the [...]
