In one of the biggest operations against artifact smugglers, Turkish security forces raided locations in 38 provinces , with arrest warrants for 143 suspects. Dubbed “Operation Heritage,” raids targeted suspects who sent artifacts extracted in illegal excavations for sale in auction houses abroad.
Operations were based in the central province of Konya and were the culmination of an investigation that lasted for about one year. Anti-smuggling and organized crime units of police, with arrest warrants issued by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Seydişehir district, seized a trove of artifacts in operations. The number of suspects captured was not disclosed yet. Seydişehir is known for its rich history as the home of Neolithic civilizations, Hittites, Seljuks and Ottomans, along with Roman rule. Most of the artifacts extracted in the district are on display in the Konya Museum of Archaeology.
An examination by Culture and Tourism Ministry experts discovered that the majority of artifacts had their origins in Anatolia, therefore, the property of Turkey.
The operation also thwarted the sale of a Byzantine-era empire seal smuggled from Turkey at an auction house in Switzerland for 28,000 Swiss francs ($29,144), media outlets reported.
A cradle of multiple civilizations, Turkey, in recent years, it launched a new legal battle to recover Anatolian heritage taken abroad. In 2021, the country recovered some 3,480 of its cultural assets thanks to the efforts of the country's anti-smuggling authorities. The process for recovering artifacts involves multiple state agencies, including law enforcement and judicial authorities, as well as diplomatic efforts and legal cases with the countries where the artifacts are found.
