The Fier Police in Albania has seized 107 artworks suspected to have been trafficked from Greece. Some of them belong to the ancient period.
Two individuals, aged 51 and 57, have been arrested for their alleged involvement in trafficking art and cultural artifacts.
“The value of the precious archaeological works trafficked from the Greek state amounts to 1.5 million euros. Among the seized works are icons and paintings by Greek and Romanian authors, swords, and other items believed to belong to the ancient period, including a marble head from the suspected 2nd century BC,” stated Lorenc Panganika, the director of Fier Police.
During the search of the detainees’ residences, a small quantity of cannabis sativa, military ammunition, and a van used for transporting archaeological artifacts were also found and confiscated as material evidence.
Officials from the police and the prosecutor’s office in Fier announced that they would collaborate with the Greek Police to uncover and document this criminal activity and bring other implicated individuals to justice.
A few days ago, on December 15, Albania returned 20 icons to its neighbor, North Macedonia, which had been stolen a decade ago.
These icons were part of the 476 stolen icons that the Albanian Police had seized in 2013.
At that time, a working group was established to assess and categorize the seized icons to understand their origin and ownership.
The agreement for their return was signed on November 14, 2022, during a joint meeting of the two governments in Skopje, where the icon of “Saint Elijah” was symbolically exhibited.
