Around 90% of the antiques seized during an international operation targeting a cultural property trafficking network will be returned to Bulgaria, Deputy Minister of Culture Todor Chobanov told “Nova TV”. “This is an unprecedented operation in terms of its scale. In the past half-century, there has not been such a large operation against an international antique trafficking network”, Petar Chobanov said. He explained that the items were obtained through illegal digging and date from the 7th century BC to the 3rd–4th century AD, primarily made of precious metals such as gold and silver. The value of the confiscated antiques is estimated at around EUR 100 million. After cataloging and analysis, the items will be distributed to Bulgarian museums, with the largest number expected to go to the National Historical Museum.

Petar Chobanov emphasized that these networks operate globally and are involved not only in antique trafficking but also in drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking. 

Published and translated by Kostadin Atanasov

Photo: BTA