Sussex man held in Turkey for smuggling ancient coins

Sussex man held in Turkey for smuggling ancient coins

A British man is facing up to three years in a Turkish prison for trying to take home some ancient coins found on the seabed during a family holiday. Toby Robyns, 52, an ambulance driver from Southwick, in West Sussex, was arrested as he made his way through security at Bodrum airport on Saturday. Airport security staff reportedly found 12 coins, which were later classed as historical artefacts, in his luggage. Mr Robyns told them his children found them while they were swimming. He is reportedly being detained at Milas prison on suspicion of smuggling historical artefacts.

I think one, two coins found in the same place is plausible, a story involving twelve is stretching credulity a bit. The PAS gives people in the UK the impression that finding ancient artefacts and walking off with them is OK - so when they go to more normal countries which see this as knowledge theft, Englanders do not know how to behave. Maybe the PAS needs to do more educating.