Police in Plovdiv disrupts crime ring for archaeological artefacts smuggling

The police in Bulgaria’s second largest city of Plovdiv disrupted a crime ring for archaeological artefacts trading. Two people were arrested on December 3 from Plovdiv and from Sofia at the time of a deal. A third person involved in the crime ring is wanted.

The group was under surveillance for three months by the Criminal Police Department for Cultural and Historical Values. Special intelligence devices were used.

More than 877 artifacts have been seized so far, including gold and silver coins. Searches and seizure of archaeological values in the country continue. Prosecutors expect their number to exceed 1,000.

The cultural and historical artefacts are from Antiquity, the Roman period and the Middle Ages. They were bought by treasure hunters all over the country. Once the examinations are completed, it will be possible to tell the value of the seized items, prosecutors said. If found guilty, the detained suspects can be imprisoned for a period from one to six years and fines of up to BGN 15,000.