Greece: Police foil €120,000 antiquities deal in Alimos

Two men were arrested Thursday in Alimos, a coastal suburb of Athens, for attempting to illegally sell ancient artifacts, authorities said. A third suspect, believed to have acted as a middleman, remains at large.

The arrests followed a sting operation by the Police Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. Officers apprehended the suspects during a planned meeting in a municipal parking lot on Poseidonos Avenue, where they had arranged to sell a gold diadem, two bronze statuettes and an ancient coin.

The diadem, reportedly valued at 80,000 euros, was found hidden in a makeshift compartment inside one suspect’s belt. The remaining artifacts were reportedly priced at €40,000.

Subsequent searches of homes in Varkiza and Alexandroupoli uncovered books on ancient coin types, additional evidence and a mobile phone. Experts from the Numismatic Museum and Antiquities Authority confirmed the items are protected under Greece’s cultural heritage laws.

Police say the transaction was arranged through a known antiquities dealer who introduced the two suspects. One of them, 51, is known to authorities from a 2018 arrest in Kavala for similar charges.

Both men face charges including forming a criminal organization, trafficking in cultural goods and unlawful possession of antiquities.

Source: ekathimerini.com