A Lebanese antiquities dealer was arrested in Bulgaria after being charged with smuggling stolen ancient Egyptian artifacts, Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) said on Thursday.
'Ali Abu Taam was accused of smuggling more than 1,000 antiquities and helping Egyptian dealer Tareq al-Sweissi smuggle Egyptian pieces that belonged to different dynasties,' said SCA chief Zahi Hawas.
ArtInfo
In 2003 Seweissi was arrested and convicted. Although Abu Taam was not apprehended at the time, in 2004 an Egyptian court convicted him in absentia, sentencing him to 15 years in prison and fining him EG£50,000 ($9,062).
The culture ministry did not offer details on the types of artifacts involved in the smuggling operation, but Zahi Hawass, the country’s chief archaeologist, said that Abu Taam’s arrest marked a “concrete step toward stopping the trade in illegal antiquities around the world.”
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