Spanish police crack down on regional antiquities dealers in the region of Valencia, and find irregularities in nearly half the antique and antiquities dealers in the region:
"This is not to criminalize this sector, but we suspect many cultural objects offered in in stores or at flea markets are from looting and pillaging", explains Luis Martinez, inspector from the Heritage group. Only in the last quarter, autonomous agents have conducted 113 investigations throughout the region. In that time they have arrested a dealer [for infringement of the firearms law PMB] and have detected irregularities in the offerings of 70 other dealers about issues such as inadequate documentation of the origin of the items for sale,these items have now been seized pending an investigation to determine their origin. Antique dealers are required by law to register their purchases and sales to keep a track on them. There has been observed an increase in the looting of archaeological sites in the region, especially sites that had been excavated as rescue operations prior to development during a boom in the economy and the work was suspended or stopped due to the recession and the lack of investment of municipal authorities on the control, fencing or guarding of these sites. Churches were also being targeted by artefact thieves.
JA Marrahi, 'La mitad de anticuarios investigados en la Comunitat presenta irregularidades', Las Provincias.esp 3rd April 2014
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