Many antiquities were seized this week at the home of a resident of the city of Modi'in. During his interrogation, the suspect admitted to illegal trade, smuggling hundreds of coins abroad and buying pirated coins and illegal merchants in Judea and Samaria, while bringing them into Israel illegally.
This is one of the significant perceptions of the Antiquities Authority's Robbery Prevention Unit in recent times.
At the home of a resident of the city of Modi'in, about 1,800 antique coins, jewelry and stamps, pottery plates with a peg and an ancient bronze statue, which were suspected of being looted from ancient sites in the country, were seized this week.
Dozens of the coins were already inside mail envelopes, ready for shipment abroad.
Captured coins are dated to different periods;
Among other things, coins made of silver from the Hellenistic period, bronze coins from the Roman period, as well as Jewish coins from various periods, including the Persian, the Second Temple, the Hasmonean Kingdom, the days of the Great Revolt and the Bar Kochba Revolt.
The coins from the Bar Kochba period bear the name of the leader of the "Shimon" revolt.
The search of the inspectors of the Antiquities Authority's Robbery Prevention Unit was carried out this week by a judge's order, following suspicion that the man was engaged in trading in antiquities without a license.
During the search, the Antiquities Authority inspectors noticed that some of the coins and items contained fresh dirt.
According to the suspicion, these objects recently came from illegal excavations from ancient sites around the country.
The operation was also conducted with the assistance of police officers from the intelligence station.
"It is heartbreaking to think of the many antiquities sites that were destroyed there to make money from merchants of heritage values," said Ilan Haddad, the Antiquities Authority's antiquities commissioner, adding: "This is a history of us all that can no longer be restored."
From the Seized Rings, Photo: Yuli Schwartz, Israel Antiquities Authority
Hadad said of the suspect: "He traded in antiquities many years ago, was well versed in the provisions of the law, but chose to take conscious action against him."
Haddad added that "according to the suspicion, the man traded in antiquities illegally for a long time, and systematically smuggled thousands of coins from Israel abroad."
During his interrogation, the suspect admitted to illegal trade in smuggling hundreds of coins abroad, buying coins from robbers and illegal merchants in Judea and Samaria and bringing them into Israel illegally.
Eli Escozido, Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, says: "Antiquities Authority inspectors struggle every day with the phenomenon of antiquities robbery and illegal trade. The ancient finds belong to the state and the public. Each coin and coin has a unique story. "Robbers and thieves encourage the theft of antiquities, which are torn from their historical story. The Antiquities Authority will continue to act in cooperation with other law enforcement agencies, to thwart the illegal trade in antiquities."
The Antiquities Robbery Prevention Unit said that in the coming weeks the investigation will be expanded to expose those who provided the coins to the suspect.
At the end of the investigation, the case will be transferred to the Legal Bureau of the Israel Antiquities Authority to examine the filing of an indictment against him.
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