Police thwart attempt to smuggle 348 Egyptian antiquities

CAIRO – 1 June 2017: An attempt to smuggle 348 artifacts was thwarted on Wednesday by the Tourism and Antiquities Police Department at Egypt’s Delta governorate of Shaqia, according to a

Youm7 report

.

The suspect was arrested after being lured into a trap by police officers who disguised as antiques smugglers and agreed to buy the 348 artifacts for LE 10m. The defendant was referred to the prosecution and ordered to a 4-day detention, pending investigation.

The seized antiques, which are believed to be mummification tools from the Pharaonic era, were put in the prosecutor's warehouse until a committee of the antiquities ministry was formed to examine them.

Since the outbreak of the January 25 Revolution in 2011 and its consequent security lapse across Egypt, the Tourism and Antiquities Police, in coordination with Cairo Airport authorities, have thwarted several attempts to smuggle ancient Egyptian antiquities out of the country.