The carabinieri of the Cosenza Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of Cosenza in a year of investigations, stalking, checks on online platforms and tight controls throughout Calabria and in the rest of the country has made it possible to expose illegal trafficking, seize counterfeit works and return the treasures lost for decades to the community.
At the forefront, the recovery of an Attic amphora with black figures, dated at the end of the 6th century BC and stolen in 1991 by a private Calabrian collection: the artifact, of extraordinary archaeological relevance, had re -emerged in the legal circuit and had been placed for sale at a renowned auction house. But the amphora is only the tip of the iceberg. The investigative activity of the TPC nucleus has brought to light 179 archaeological finds and 124 antiques, While 133 false pictorial works and two counterfeit antiques were seized. The estimated total value exceeds 5 million euros.
To make this result was a combination of prevention, repression and targeted use of the rules. In particular, the law 22/2022, which strengthened the sanctioning apparatus through the introduction of 17 new articles in the criminal code, had a decisive role, helping to strengthen the legal defenses against crimes against cultural heritage.
“Cultural heritage is not only the memory of the past, but the foundation of our present and future”, have declared investigative sources. In 2024 checks on 126 archaeological areas were carried out to counter illegal excavations, 137 landscape areas to prevent building abuses, and 47 fairs, markets and antique activities to combat rottosure and recycling crimes. Furthermore, 452 assets have been subjected to photographic investigations, often the first step to identify the suspect origin of works of art.
The investigations led to the referral to the judicial authority of 105 people: among these, 59 for landscape crimes, 9 for clandestine excavations, 18 for receiving stolen goods and 5 for counterfeiting. A result that demonstrates the capillarity of the work done and the effectiveness of an integrated approach, which combines the monitoring of the territory with that of online transactions. In fact, a significant part of the work concerned the network: digital rods, private sales on e-commerce and social networks.
Here, between deceptive links and glossy photos, there are often objects resulting from illegal or fake author excavations, sold to unsuspecting collectors or compliant merchants. Thanks to the collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, many of the recovered assets have returned to the unavailable heritage of the state: 385 finds – including archaeological, fossil objects and even a naval cannon – were delivered to the peripheral structures of the dicastery, sealing a return path that has the flavor of historical justice.