There is an article in ‘ The Canadian Press’ (Specialized team of Quebec police officers to track stolen art across Canada) about the investigation of art-related crimes in Montreal. Christopher Marinello, executive director of the Art Loss Registers' New York-based office is quoted as saying: "Americans are used to thinking of [their] northern neighbour as dealing only in moose sculptures and antique kayaks," but Canada's art market is "incredibly sophisticated," with auction houses bringing in millions of dollars a year. Illegal activity involving works of art has become a major form of international crime.
The article tells readers that there is now a Quebec police squad dedicated to investigating cases of art theft and counterfeiting, they are Canada's first group of specialized police officers dedicated to fighting that country's share “of what the FBI calls a $6-billion global industry that is believed to fuel everything from organized crime and terrorism to drug trafficking.” Bonnie Czegledi, a Toronto-based international art and cultural property lawyer, is quoted as saying that the world of art fraud and counterfeiting is dark and complicated. "It's not a pretty picture, especially when you get into antiquities crimes, you're dealing with the same people who deal with arms, drugs and women and children," she said. Organized criminal groups with their international contacts, are often involved, using stolen art to launder money or in exchange for drugs.
Marinell0 says "To combat art theft it needs to be a complete effort - not just on the part of law enforcement - but you have to have auction houses, museums, collectors and dealers on board - the whole art community has to get involved […] It's the co-operation of the art community we need and that's what's lacking in Canada." I wonder what the collecting of ancient coins and other portable antiquities from the Old World looks like in Canada? How many dealers and collectors of this kind of material are there, and are their supply networks the same as the US ones we tend to hear more about?
The article tells readers that there is now a Quebec police squad dedicated to investigating cases of art theft and counterfeiting, they are Canada's first group of specialized police officers dedicated to fighting that country's share “of what the FBI calls a $6-billion global industry that is believed to fuel everything from organized crime and terrorism to drug trafficking.” Bonnie Czegledi, a Toronto-based international art and cultural property lawyer, is quoted as saying that the world of art fraud and counterfeiting is dark and complicated. "It's not a pretty picture, especially when you get into antiquities crimes, you're dealing with the same people who deal with arms, drugs and women and children," she said. Organized criminal groups with their international contacts, are often involved, using stolen art to launder money or in exchange for drugs.
Marinell0 says "To combat art theft it needs to be a complete effort - not just on the part of law enforcement - but you have to have auction houses, museums, collectors and dealers on board - the whole art community has to get involved […] It's the co-operation of the art community we need and that's what's lacking in Canada." I wonder what the collecting of ancient coins and other portable antiquities from the Old World looks like in Canada? How many dealers and collectors of this kind of material are there, and are their supply networks the same as the US ones we tend to hear more about?
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