21 ancient coins found stolen in Chicago are returned to Greece (photo)
Greece is returning 21 ancient coins of particularly high value, which were found in the control of the Authorities at the O’Hare Airport in Chicago, as announced by the Internal Security Service (Homeland Security), after the end of the process.
In particular, according to what is transmitted by National Herald, these are coins that were stolen from Greece several years ago, and trafficked to the USA, in order to be put up for illegal auction, through the black market circuits. Despite all this, the use of information and the control of the Authorities prevented their transfer to the central airport of Chicago and already, in the presence of the consul general of Greece, Emmanuel Koumbarakis, the handover ceremony took place.
“It is a very important development. This is the largest repatriation of Greek coins in the recent history of the Department of Investigations of the Internal Security Service. I can’t put a price on them because if they went to a black market auction we’d be talking tens of thousands of dollars. This is a theft of cultural heritage. These countries need us to take back their History,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Director Sean Fitzgerald, clearly pleased with the development.
For his part, the consul general of Greece in Chicago, Emmanuel Koumbarakis, expressed the country’s gratitude to the American authorities for this operation, but also for the fact that the important historical objects will return to Greece, adding that “it’s a lot. important for the cultural heritage of my country”.
“I would like to thank you for organizing this ceremony. On behalf of the Hellenic Republic, I would like to express my appreciation and benefit from the most capable American Authorities for their diligence and dedication in detecting illegal antiquities trafficking. I would like to thank the USA for its cooperation and the repatriation of the 21 coins to their country of origin, Greece. These objects are very important to our cultural heritage. We also thank the National Security Investigations Department for our excellent cooperation”, were the words of Mr. Koumbarakis.
According to the agent of the National Security Agency, Paige Williamson (Paige Williamson), the coins detected at O’Hare airport in a shipment that came from Europe, in order to continue their illegal traffic.
“These coins were found in a DHL facility at the airport. They were coming from Austria and were going to end up in private hands here in the US,” he said.
The handover ceremony took place on Wednesday, at the offices of the federal agency in Western Lombard.
Relevant Articles
Greece is returning 21 ancient coins of particularly high value, which were found in the control of the Authorities at the O’Hare Airport in Chicago, as announced by the Internal Security Service (Homeland Security), after the end of the process.
In particular, according to what is transmitted by National Herald, these are coins that were stolen from Greece several years ago, and trafficked to the USA, in order to be put up for illegal auction, through the black market circuits. Despite all this, the use of information and the control of the Authorities prevented their transfer to the central airport of Chicago and already, in the presence of the consul general of Greece, Emmanuel Koumbarakis, the handover ceremony took place.
“It is a very important development. This is the largest repatriation of Greek coins in the recent history of the Department of Investigations of the Internal Security Service. I can’t put a price on them because if they went to a black market auction we’d be talking tens of thousands of dollars. This is a theft of cultural heritage. These countries need us to take back their History,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Director Sean Fitzgerald, clearly pleased with the development.
For his part, the consul general of Greece in Chicago, Emmanuel Koumbarakis, expressed the country’s gratitude to the American authorities for this operation, but also for the fact that the important historical objects will return to Greece, adding that “it’s a lot. important for the cultural heritage of my country”.
“I would like to thank you for organizing this ceremony. On behalf of the Hellenic Republic, I would like to express my appreciation and benefit from the most capable American Authorities for their diligence and dedication in detecting illegal antiquities trafficking. I would like to thank the USA for its cooperation and the repatriation of the 21 coins to their country of origin, Greece. These objects are very important to our cultural heritage. We also thank the National Security Investigations Department for our excellent cooperation”, were the words of Mr. Koumbarakis.
According to the agent of the National Security Agency, Paige Williamson (Paige Williamson), the coins detected at O’Hare airport in a shipment that came from Europe, in order to continue their illegal traffic.
“These coins were found in a DHL facility at the airport. They were coming from Austria and were going to pass into private hands here in the US,” he said.
The handover ceremony took place on Wednesday, at the offices of the federal agency in Western Lombard.