Accusations have been made in a British newspaper that a London antiquities dealer masterminded a supply network for illicit antiquities (Tom Kington. '
British antiques expert ‘ran tomb-raiding gang’
The Times July 5 2018). So far no charges have been made:
A British antiques dealer has been arrested on suspicion of masterminding a European tomb-raiding gang which looted Greek and Roman artefacts worth millions.
William Veres is accused of hiring criminals who hid looted coins among the change in their wallets to smuggle them from Sicily to auction houses in Germany. He was arrested at his home in Stanmore, northwest London.
"We had no idea he was running such an elaborate operation”, a policeman is quoted saying: '“He was an antiquities expert, fluent in Italian and very cultured". Aren't they all? What does the term 'reputable antiquities dealer' actually mean? Let's hope these suspicions are unfounded, the
British Museum has apparently bought antiquities (coins) supplied by him. I expect they will be inspecting the documents concerning their prior collecting history now.
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