Metal Detectorists Accused of Looting Roman Sites in Spain

Storyful
7 個月前

Detectorists may have a benign reputation, but Spanish police say they’ve busted a group of them who were anything but, accusing them of working by night to loot hundreds of coins and other artefacts from Roman sites in the province of Caceres.

According to the Spanish Ministry of Interior, six people have been arrested, and three others are being investigated, in connection with the alleged looting of 2,500 coins and other artefacts.

“The criminal group used sophisticated metal detection devices to carry out a systematic sweep of the interior of the protected areas, always at night,” the ministry said, adding that some of the objects were being sold for “prices well below their real value in the legal market.”

“They appropriated pieces and objects of archaeological interest [ … ] causing the loss of the archaeological context and historical information associated with them,” the ministry said. Credit: Guardia Civil via Storyful