ANCHOR:
The Spanish police force seized more than 700 priceless artifacts stolen from archaeological sites in South America and smuggled to Europe. Let's get the full story.
STORY:
The stolen treasures predate the Spanish conquest. Dozens of valuable golden objects, including masks, vessels, pendants and maces, were taken from Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
[Antonio Tenorio, Police Heritage Protection Force]:
"All the antiquities come from pillaging in Ecuador, Peru and Colombia mainly -although we know that the arrested couple traveled to other countries as well. In any event, the investigation we just opened will clear all this out. We'll now conduct research into every pillaged deposit."
Police have arrested a Spanish man and his Colombian wife who had been trafficking in stolen artifacts for years. They'd been selling them in auction houses in Europe, mainly in France.
The couple planned to stage an exhibition and auction this month in France, but were arrested after returning from Colombia.
The seized artifacts will be sent for analysis to the Madrid Archaeological Museum and authorities expected them to be claimed by their countries of origin.
Tags: ntd artifacts spain archaelogy south america smuggle
