Carabinieri art police said on
Wednesday that they executed arrest warrants for 16 people in
relation to an alleged ring that staged illegal archaeological
digs and was involved in the illegal sale of priceless relics at
the national and international level.
The police also staged dozens of searches in relation to
Tuesday's operation involving around 300 officers
Some of the people arrested in five different regions, Puglia,
Basilicata, Campania, Lazio and Abruzzo, were taken to jail
while others were put under house arrest.
The probe stemmed from the activities of the "Cacciatori Puglia"
helicopter squadron, which revealed illegal activities in
archaeological sites during aerial surveillance.
During the investigation, the police recovered and seized
thousands of archaeological finds, including ceramics and gold,
silver and bronze coins.
Restrictive measures were imposed on five suspects, in addition
to the 16 arrested, and a total of 51 people are under
investigation.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
