Two Americans Caught Smuggling Macedonian Antiquities

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American tourists and NGO workers visiting Macedonia in recent months seem to have developed a fondness for indulging in a bit of antiquities smuggling reports the  Macedonian International News Agency ('Americans frequently caught smuggling antiquities out of Macedonia', Saturday, 20 October 2012) ). Last month a US citizen was caught on the Macedonian-Serbian border attempting to leave the country with a bag reportedly full of coins, figures and other antiquities. A week later, another American, Mrs. Candi Dunlap [not Dunlop as originally reported] was detained attempting to leave Macedonia at Skopje's international airport after customs authorities found in her baggage numerous coins dating back to the second century [?] BC which she is accused of smuggling.

 The two Americans quickly confessed their guilt, while Mrs Dunlop maintained the coins were simply a gift from an unnamed Macedonian citizen. Although Macedonians are famous for their hospitality, there are hardly any Macedonians who give up national treasures worth in the millions as a "gift". The Macedonian Government, as any other country is very strict when it comes to [...] artefacts, particularly after becoming aware of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of antiquities being smuggled out of the country in the 1990's. Most of the artefacts are believed to be sold on the black market and are in private collections in the US and England. 

Mrs Dunlap is awaiting judgement on Wednesday. The newspaper suggests that if she does not come up with the name of who "gave her the coins, she may stay in Macedonia for an extended period". There is another report (Мајa Jovanovska: 'Шверцерка или хуманитарка - Кенди Данлап плачеше пред судиите', Канал 5 ТV, 19.10.2012) with a TV reportage which includes a film of the anxious lady herself and the coins, two pots and other antiquities. 

The US press reports it somewhat differently from the Macedonians: 

An Alabama nurse who was on a humanitarian mission in Macedonia is now awaiting a judge's ruling after she was arrested and tried for allegedly stealing rare coins. Candi Dunlap, of Meridian, Ala., was arrested on Sept. 28 at Macedonia's airport after the coins were found in her carry-on luggage, the Clarion Ledger reported. The judge had been expected to rule Friday but delayed her decision until next Wednesday. Others on the mission trip with Dunlap insisted she was given the coins as a thank you from a Macedonian and that she had no idea they were not to be taken from the country.

Duh. So American voluntary workers think that when you go to other countries you do not have to learn about the ways their laws differ from those of your own? I wonder whether if the Macedonian had given her a chunk of smoked home-made mountain goat's cheese, or cured meat, or some cuttings of the begonias on his balcony Mrs Dunlap would know she could not take them into the US? Her country has customs regulations too, did she trouble to find out what they were?  Were the coins given to her not so much as a gift, but a provocation? What's the deal? There is a Facebook page for her  - isn't it terribly interesting that none of the people "praying" for "justice for Candi" are not actually informed how many coins she had on her. Why? Also there is an appeal to President Obama (which is ironic if you see what she wrote about him a couple of years back on her own Facebook page).

Most of the discussion I have seen on US coin forums on this topic does little except illustrate an abysmal  lack of intelligence or understanding of the way the world works - or regard for others - on the part of those who spend their time fondling little discs of metal. If this woman had been Turkish, Albanian, Polish, Maltese or any other nationality, everybody would be praising Macedonian customs on their vigilance - and saying how such a smuggler deserves to go to jail.

Anyway, my feeling is that despite all, if the story she tells is true, she'll be on a flight home on Wednesday (hearing at 13:30 local time). 

Vignette: Screengrab allegedly of Mrs Dunlap's "souvenirs". There are about 250 coins here, I would guess, apparently of different types (Greek, Early Roman and Later Roman?) - rather too many to be believable as a simple friendly gesture.