Canadian Antiquities Bust: Quebec Dealer Arrested

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More details are emerging about the antiquities bust in Canada in which 20 000 artefacts destined for the North American market were seized from suspected smugglers four years ago in Montreal. In 2007, Canada Border Services Agency officials detained two imports of cultural property sent by mail from Bulgaria, and referred them for assessment to the Canadian heritage department, which called in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to investigate.

The collection of objects, including at least 18,000 coins from the Roman Empire and other ancient civilizations, was described as spanning "more than 2,600 years" of the history of the Balkan nation. The objects encompass aspects of Greek, Roman, Macedonian, Byzantine, Bulgarian and Ottoman cultural heritage, officials said.

Two and a half thousand years of history stolen by the no-questions-asked antiquities trade. The objects seized were diverse, from bronze eagles, rings and belt buckles to spearheads and bone sewing needles — but none of them apparently accompanied by any kind of documentation concerning where they had been dug up how and with what. Dealers and collectors are not interested in context of deposition, such information has no commercial value in today's market. In fact, it's considered better not to ask, bad form to enquire too closely.

Believed to have been excavated illegally and shipped to Canada as part of an international smuggling operation, some of the artifacts were intercepted by customs officials with the Canada Border Services Agency in 2007. A subsequent police investigation led to the search of a home in Quebec and the recovery of many more historical objects, according to RCMP Asst. Commissioner Mike Cabana. But he told Postmedia News that police also learned during their probe that other ancient artifacts illegally imported from Bulgaria had already been sold in Canada. And while a Quebec court ruled earlier this year that the 21,000 seized objects should be returned to Bulgaria, a "person of interest" initially arrested in Quebec in connection with the illegal shipment was eventually released without charges.

Randy Boswell, 'Cultural artifacts seized in Canada returned to grateful owners', Montreal Gazette June 10th 2011.

Photo: Some of the seized objects (Alison Crawford/CBC)


Photo: Department of Canadian Heritage

Since Montreal is in Quebec (province), I presume this means that the arrested dealer lived in the city of that name. Was it anyone we know? Most Canadian dugup antiquity dealers seem to be based in Ottawa.
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