Ancient Egyptian Artifact Smuggled Into US Was Destined For Edgewater: DOJ

EDGEWATER, MD — Customs agents seized 14 ancient Egyptian artifacts illegally smuggled into the U.S. and said at least one was destined for Anne Arundel County.

One of the artifacts was an "Old Kingdom Limestone Funerary Statue" valued at roughly $6 million, the Department of Justice said. The statue likely originated from an archaeological site in Saqqara or Giza, which are royal cemeteries near the ancient city of Memphis.

The DOJ said other smuggled artifacts included amulets, stone figurines and a vase.

A Monday press release said Customs and Border Protection found these artifacts between August 2020 and April 2021 while inspecting parcels transiting through airports in Anchorage, Alaska; Cincinnati, Ohio and New York City.

At least one of these shipments was heading to a private collector in Edgewater, the release said. The DOJ did not identify the collector by name or clarify which artifact was en route to Maryland.

"This litigation highlights one of the benefits of civil asset forfeiture and is an important milestone toward eliminating smuggled cultural property from the U.S. art market," Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, said in the release. "This office is committed to combating the black-market sale of cultural property and the smuggling of ancient artifacts, and will use all available tools, including asset forfeiture, to disrupt illicit trade in antiquities."

A photo of the statue is posted here.

Prosecutors said the shipping paperwork for the artifacts used deceptive and inaccurate descriptions like "home décor," "stone garden statue" and "decoration." The paperwork didn't state the true origin or value of the ancient artifacts, the Justice Department said.

This week, the federal government said it secured a default judgment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, completing the forfeiture of the artifacts.

In similar cases, the DOJ has worked to return the artifacts to the country of origin.

"These ancient artifacts are more than just relics of the past; they are irreplaceable pieces of global cultural heritage that tell the story of human civilization," said Evan Campanella, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations–Baltimore. "The deceptive practices used to smuggle these treasures into the United States not only violate our import laws but also undermine efforts to preserve and protect the integrity of cultural history."