Artefact Seized, Returned to Belize

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US antiquity collectors are keen buyers of artefacts illicitly obtained from digging on archaeological sites on their own continent too. Again "no questions asked" supply is the main vehicle by which the market functions. An early classic Maya period polychrome ceramic bowl was returned to Belize by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently. Reportedly it was confiscated by U.S. Immigration and Customs agents from a New Mexico man trying to import the stolen artefact into the United States. It is illegal to buy or sell Maya artefacts in Belize all artefacts found are the property of the Government of Belize and any finds should be reported to the Institute of Archaeology. The identity and fate of the individual involved in the illicit transfer of stolen property is not revealed.

Source: News Belize