Authorities seize thousands of stolen artifacts in raid on antiquities smuggler's home in West Bank

Thousands of illegally acquired antiquities, including 400 ancient coins, pottery, and metal detectors, were seized in a raid on a suspected smuggler's home in the Jordan Valley. The joint operation involved the Civil Administration's Archaeology Unit, Border Police, IDF, and Nature and Parks Authority. The suspect was arrested earlier carrying excavation tools.

Thousands of illegally acquired antiquities dating back to the Persian period were seized in a raid on a suspected smuggler's home in the Jordan Valley area of the West Bank. The cache included approximately 400 ancient coins, pottery fragments, arrowheads, an antique dagger, seals, and rings from the Persian, Hellenistic, Hasmonean, and Byzantine eras. Metal detectors and excavation equipment were also confiscated. The raid was a joint operation by the Civil Administration's Archaeology Unit, Judea and Samaria Border Police, IDF's Jordan Valley Regional Brigade, and the Nature and Parks Authority. The suspect had been arrested earlier while carrying metal detectors and excavation tools. Trading in antiquities without a permit and searching without a license are criminal offenses under Israeli law. The suspect has been transferred for questioning. The article also notes recent similar cases, including a Palestinian doctor arrested in March for smuggling Second Temple-period coins.