Antiquities trafficking

US authorities return 33 looted antiquities to Cambodia

The artefacts belonged to the late collector George Lindemann and were turned over to authorities voluntarily by his family

Bronze Roman statue, believed to have been looted from Turkey, seized from Cleveland Museum of Art

The museum had recently revised public information about the sculpture, likely a depiction of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, in an apparent attempt to distance itself from its alleged looting

'More than 1,500' artefacts were stolen from British Museum, internal investigation reportedly reveals

A Unesco antiquities trafficking expert says the theft is "probably the worst case so far"

Officials from three countries have called on Denver Art Museum to return eight artefacts in its collection

Six of the eight allegedly looted objects were donated to the museum by Emma C. Bunker, an associate of smuggler Douglas Latchford

Denver Art Museum cut ties with a disgraced donor—but critics say that’s not enough

Benefactor Emma Bunker worked closely with antiquities smuggler Douglas Latchford

Antiquities trafficking is not ‘the third largest illicit trade in the world’, researchers claim

New report traces the origins of the oft-repeated superlative, which its authors say is incorrect and actually makes it harder to fight trafficking

Art marketinterview

'The most illiquid property you can have is a Greek vase': Vincent Geerling on the challenges facing the antiquities trade

The chairman of the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art reflects on an increasingly scrutinised industry as the organisation marks its 30th anniversary

Douglas Latchford’s estate hands over $12m to settle US trafficking case

The late antiquities dealer was accused of profiting off stolen Cambodian antiquities

California man found guilty of smuggling ancient Roman mosaic looted from Syria into US

Mohamad Alcharihi faces up to two years in prison and will be sentenced at the end of August

California man on trial for allegedly importing Roman mosaic looted during Syrian civil war to US

Mohamad Yassin Alcharihi is accused of misrepresenting the true value of a mosaic that was looted from Syria in 2015

Antiquities trafficking investigator appointed president of Harvard Law Review—a position once held by Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Barack Obama

Apsara Iyer says looting of Indian temples was a "wake-up call" to understanding how cultural heritage and crime intersect

The Metropolitan Museum will return 15 sculptures sold by trafficker Subhash Kapoor to India

The repatriation comes after a report found more than 1,000 works linked to suspected or convicted traffickers in the museum’s collection

More than 1,000 objects in the Met’s collection linked to alleged traffickers and looters, investigation finds

A new report claims New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has many items in its collection with major provenance issues

In Burkina Faso and Mali, pilot scheme builds defences against illegal trafficking of cultural antiquities

Icom and Aliph’s $250,000 project is providing training and security measures for 22 museums in countries ravaged by war

Appeals court upholds antiquities trafficking charges against former Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez and curator Jean-François Charnier

The appellate court judges’ decision came as a surprise, as the general prosecutor had asked for the charges—which relate to the acquisition of Egyptian antiquities by the Louvre Abu Dhabi—to be dropped

Authorities in New York return 14 looted artefacts valued at $2.5m to Italy, including a black-figure hydria by the renowned Priam Painter

The repatriated artefacts were looted by an international network of “high-profile antiquities traffickers and smugglers, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office

Looted archaeological artefacts worth more than $20m returned to Italy

The 60 objects included some that had been on display at the Metropolitan Museum and several that had been bought by billionaire collector Michael Steinhardt

Looted antiquities returned to Turkey and Italy were seized from New York home of Met trustee Shelby White

An ongoing investigation into White's collection expects to see more objects repatriated in the future

Antiquities trafficking charges against former Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez and curator Jean-François Charnier could be dropped

The ruling of the examining chamber, expected next year, could overturn the investigation against both curators in a case implicating the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Metropolitan Museum

Stolen Afghan manuscripts have been coming up for sale at major auction houses, according to research group

The Himaya project based in Qatar has been working with Interpol to identify artefacts trafficked to London, Paris and Amsterdam

Wanted in the US, Lebanese antiquities collector maintains his innocence, says his ‘big mistake’ was trusting New York art crime official

Lotfi addresses allegations that led to a warrant being issued for his arrest in a statement and interview, giving new details on the extraordinary story of the Metropolitan Museum's gold sarcophagus

French art dealer Didier Wormser stands trial for trafficking looted Egyptian antiquities

Owner of L’Etoile d’Ishtar gallery said artefacts from Saqqara necropolis “should be restituted to Egypt” but insists he purchased them in good faith

US customs agents seize Ancient Egyptian lid for mummy liver

The artefact, seized in Memphis, Tennessee, was en route to a collector who is believed to have falsified statements regarding its value

Lootnews

Allegedly stolen ancient Cambodian sculptures airbrushed from photoshoot of ‘most beautiful home in America’

Cambodian government says stone artefacts kept at San Francisco home of billionaire Lindemann family match those looted from sacred site

Arrest warrant issued for dealer who sold ‘hundreds’ of looted Middle East antiquities—some of which ended up in the Met

Georges Lotfi has been accused of handling the types of materials he helped the police recover and repatriate for years

Antiquities trafficking case escalates as Louvre Abu Dhabi joins civil action and Swiss collector files criminal complaint

In wake of scandal involving former Louvre director, France's culture minister forms taskforce to assess acquisitions procedures at museums

Egyptian antiquities connected to international trafficking ring seized from Metropolitan Museum in New York

Five objects worth more than €3m have been confiscated by authorities as part of a wide-ranging global investigation involving former Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez

Louvre launches civil action as part of art trafficking case involving former director Jean-Luc Martinez

A number of objects purchased by the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are now under scrutiny—including an ancient Egyptian marble head worth €35m

Former Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez charged in connection with antiquities trafficking investigation

Martinez has been indicted for “complicity of gang fraud and laundering“ of objects purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Louvre Abu Dhabi