CHICAGO – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Chicago, alongside prominent representatives of Greece and the National Hellenic Museum, held a repatriation ceremony on June 16 to return to Greece the largest number of stolen ancient coins seized by the US law enforcement agencies in HSI’s recent history. The artifacts included 51 ancient Greek coins that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intercepted through four separate examinations of goods entering the United States.
“Trafficking in antiquities is a multi-billion dollar criminal enterprise, but when traffickers steal these antiquities from a country, they are stealing a nation’s cultural heritage – purely for their potential to generate profits,” the official said. Special Agent in Charge of HSI Chicago. R. Sean Fitzgerald. “HSI has the unique skills and determination to disrupt this concerning practice. At HSI Chicago, we have a dedicated unit with specially trained agents to find lost and stolen pieces, ultimately contributing to approximately 20,000 artifacts that HSI has recovered and returned to over 40 countries since 2007.”
Due to the inability or unwillingness of the original shippers and consignees to provide proper ownership documentation, CBP seized the parts and released them to HSI.
Among the distinguished guests present during the repatriation were Greek Ambassador to the United States Alexandra Papadopoulou, Consul General Emmanuel Koubarakis and Consul Georgia Tasiopoulou.
“It’s a successful example of how when we join forces we can work miracles,” Papadopoulou said. culture, as part of our common identity and as part of our close relationship with the United States.
This return of these ancient coins was made possible through the investigative efforts of HSI Chicago, the HSI Program for Cultural Property, Art, and Antiquities (CPAA), and law enforcement partners. at CBP.
One of the main objectives of the ACPA program is to protect and preserve the world’s cultural heritage and knowledge of past civilizations. ACMPA conducts training and awareness activities, supports cultural property investigations, and improves international relations by working with foreign governments and citizens to return looted cultural heritage and stolen works of art to their countries.
“It is often extremely difficult to assign a specific monetary value to an ancient historical coin,” Fitzgerald said. “Notwithstanding this, as symbols of the world’s oldest democracy, Greece’s cultural assets – according to HSI – are considered priceless.”
Since 2007, HSI investigations have resulted in the repatriation of more than 20,000 objects to more than 40 countries and institutions. Objects repatriated include paintings, sarcophagi, statues, coins and illuminated manuscripts.
In financial year 2022, HSI’s CPAA program has repatriated cultural property to more than 15 countries, including France, India, Iraq, Italy and Mali. Among the items repatriated were cuneiform tablets, religious artifacts and architectural drawings stolen from Jewish communities during the Holocaust.
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