US convicts man for illegally importing Roman mosaic from Syria

An American man has been convicted of illegally importing antiquities to the United States from Syria, as Western countries continue to crack down on the antiquities trafficking trade from the Middle East.

According to the US Department of Justice, 56-years-old Mohammed Yassin Alcharihi – from Palmdale, California – was charged with attempting to illegally import a mosaic dating back to the Roman Empire. The mosaic, believed to be 2,000 years old, depicted the Roman demigod Hercules and originated from Syria.

The items that Alcharihi had been illegally importing were classed as being just over $2,000, despite being worth far more than that, resulting in his conviction of falsely classifying goods. In the case, investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Art Crimes unit in Los Angeles, he could reportedly serve up to two years in prison over that charge of entry of falsely classified goods.

As a result of the investigation, sixteen people were arrested in Italy and over 3,500 artefacts were recovered when Italian police broke up an allegedly ruthless network of archaeological looters and international traffickers of ancient Greek and Roman relics.

According to a statement last Wednesday by the art squad of the Carabinieri police, another five suspects had evaded arrest but were ordered to report to police, with dozens more being investigated after a number of raids were carried out across Italy. Those suspects arrested reportedly face charges such as criminal conspiracy, illegal digging, theft, trading in stolen goods and the illegal export of goods.

READ: Iraq recovers looted artefact from Italy