In the international operation "Pandora IX", aimed at combating trafficking in cultural goods, 37.727 items were seized in several countries, including archaeological objects, works of art, coins and musical instruments, Europol announced.
The statement said that 23 people were arrested in an operation coordinated by Spain, which involved law enforcement and customs authorities from 80 countries.
Authorities confiscated 69 metal detectors and 23 tools commonly used for illegal mining in a crackdown that lasted all of last year.
Participating countries reported a total of 258 cases of illegal art trafficking, and many investigations are still ongoing.
As reported, the Italian Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC) seized more than 300 items, including coins, metal and ceramic fragments such as arrowheads and spearheads dating back to the Roman and Punic periods, and these artifacts were offered for sale on e-commerce platforms and were discovered in a private apartment.
The Spanish Civil Guard has broken up a criminal group involved in the looting of archaeological sites in the province of Cáceres, when six people were arrested, and during the operation, authorities found 2.500 archaeological, mostly Roman, coins minted in the Celtiberian city of Tamusia.
These artifacts were looted from protected archaeological sites in the province of Cáceres using metal detectors and were sold illegally via social media platforms.
Also in Spain, the Civil Guard intercepted a passenger trying to fly from Palma de Mallorca to Germany, carrying 55 ancient coins and a ring, and a subsequent investigation led to charges of crimes against cultural heritage and looting of underwater wrecks and archaeological sites.
A total of 64 objects of historical value and 1.576 ancient coins were confiscated.
In Greece, the Department of Cultural Heritage and Antiquities of Athens found five Byzantine icons, and three people were arrested while trying to sell the icons for 70.000 euros.
Ukrainian customs authorities have seized 87 cultural objects that were illegally transported from the country to Poland, Moldova and Romania.
In addition to field actions, dedicated cyber patrols were also conducted during the operation to identify potential illegal online sales of cultural goods, and a total of 4.298 cultural goods were seized, Tanjug reports.
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