US Customs officials seized a Roman wine pitcher and five gold artefacts from Afghanistan in March 2011 at Newark airport in New Jersey after investigators discovered they were destined for "a New York business suspected of dealing in looted cultural property". The Roman vase dates from the 5th to 8th century AD, while the other objects include three 5th century BC gold foil appliques depicting antelopes and two 17th century antique coiled ornaments.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency handed them over during a ceremony at the Afghan embassy on Monday. It was the fourth official repatriation of stolen Afghan cultural treasures in eight years (note the word "official"). Neither the name nor fate of the smuggler or importer ("a New York business suspected of dealing in looted cultural property") were mentioned, casting doubt on the seriousness of the intention to break the smuggling networks that bring this stuff to the no-questions-asked US market.
Straits Times, 'US returns looted artefacts to Afghanistan', Sep 10, 2013
UPDATE 11.09.13
See now Rick St Hilaire: 'Seize and Send: No Arrests Announced as ICE Sends Evidence Back to Afghanistan', "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this week sent evidence of cultural heritage trafficking to Afghanistan without having made any arrests".
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