Smuggled Antiquities Intercepted

From gulfnews.com Smuggled antiques worth $6m seized By Mariam M. Al Serkal, Staff Reporter Published: February 25, 2008, 17:58 Sharjah: Sharjah Port authorities have confiscated antiques worth $6 million that were smuggled into the country, a senior official said. “The Dh22m shipment was coming from Turkey and was expected to be received by Sharjah-based antique dealers who planned to transport it to Switzerland,” said Dr Sabbah Jasem, Head of Sharjah Archaeology Museum. Port officials confiscated more than 23 items dating back to the Roman Helenistic period, and immediately notified the Sharjah Directorate of Antiquities, which verified the authenticity of the antiques. “Sharjah strictly adheres to the international law of antiquities, and the smuggling of antiques through illegal ways,” said Jasem. He explained that antiques can only be transported between countries if the parties obtained a no-objection letter from the owners of the antiques. Jasem said this is not the first incident of its kind in Sharjah, and several items were previously confiscated from Pakistan and Afghanistan. “The Antiquities Department informed the Turkish Consulate in Dubai that these items were confiscated, and after four months the antiquities were delivered back to Turkey,” he said.