Coin Smugglers Arrested on Way to Bangkok

Jamal Shahid, 'Smugglers fly out but without treasures', Dawn.com, 26th August 2013.

Security personnel at the Islamabad airport busted a third attempt in almost as many months to smuggle out rare artifacts of the country on the Independence Day, Dawn has learned. Customs sources said Bangkok-bound passengers Subhan Allah and Zahir Allah set off the metal detector alarm while passing through the screening machine. Their body check yielded the airport security staff two envelopes containing ancient gold coins. Since the two ‘smugglers’ from Peshawar could not be detained legally, they were allowed to board their Flight TG 350 – but without their treasure.

The haul was twenty gold Kushan coins and a Hellenistic style gold pendant.

Senior Customs official at the Islamabad Airport, Ghulam Ali Malik, explained that whenever a catch is made of the August 14 kind, a case is registered under the Customs laws and the Antiquities Act after the verification of the confiscated artifacts. “We know that smugglers often carry to Thailand antiquities, such as these coins, the export of which is banned. They conceal them in decoration pieces but the bolder ones try to carry the treasures on their persons. We are not permitted to allow the carrier board the aircraft with items which appear important historical riches,” he said.

I'd say not let them on the aircraft at all, but lock them up and find out where they got the coins from and send someone there to arrest the middleman. Then find out who are their contacts in Bangkok and get the local authorities to investigate them (and where do they go from there?). What's the problem? How is anyone going to combat artefact smuggling and looting otherwise?

Vignette: Where were the envelopes?