Italian authorities have apprehended 34 “tomb raiders” suspected of plundering ancient treasures from archaeological sites across Sicily and the neighbouring region of Calabria.
The arrests mark a significant victory in the ongoing battle against the illicit trade of Italy’s rich cultural heritage.
The operation saw nine people placed in pre-trial detention and 14 under house arrest in Sicily alone. Charges levied against the alleged “tomb raiders” include criminal conspiracy, theft of cultural property, trading in stolen goods, and counterfeiting, according to police and prosecutors.
Officers successfully recovered approximately 10,000 archaeological artefacts, with an estimated total value of €17 million (£14.5 million).
Among the haul were 7,000 ancient coins issued by various Greek city-states that once flourished in Sicily, alongside hundreds of clay and terracotta vases, bronze rings, brooches, and arrowheads.
The looting of Italy’s vast artistic and archaeological wealth remains a persistent challenge, though the Carabinieri police art squad has achieved notable successes in recent years in repatriating stolen items.
In Italy, the term “tombaroli” is used to describe criminals who illicitly excavate and trade any archaeological treasures, extending beyond those found specifically in ancient tombs or graves.
Authorities also discovered a clandestine lab in the eastern Sicilian province of Catania, which produced fake ancient coins, pottery and copper, and seized some looted coins in Germany, where they had been smuggled for resale.
Agricultural code words
In Calabria, two people were put in pre-trial detention and nine under house arrest on similar charges. Prosecutors from the town of Catanzaro said the suspects had operated with the “implicit consent” of a local Ndrangheta mafia clan.
The suspects kept phone contacts to a minimum for fear of being wiretapped, and used agricultural code words in their conversations, such as “asparagus” or “fennel”, to disguise their illicit activities, prosecutors said.
In the suspects’ lingo, “chainsaw” stood for “metal detector”, they added.
Sicily is home to various ancient Roman and Greek archaeological sites, including the spectacular Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. Calabria also has a rich historical heritage.
“We are talking about territories as vast as the cultural heritage that lies under their ground,” General Antonio Petti, head of the Carabinieri art squad, told a press conference in Rome.
