Rome – Italian police said Thursday that they have uncovered an international art trafficking ring based in Rome and have recovered about 100 artifacts.
Rome Carabinieri police said 35 people, including an architect and an antiques dealer, are being investigated in connection with charges ranging from illegal possession to trafficking of archaeological artifacts. They were not arrested.
The two-year investigation focused on cities including Rome, Naples and Palermo.
Police said all the artifacts were stolen over the past 20 years and that at least some had been destined for a foreign market.
One item, a 17th-century still life by Italian painter Pietro Paolo Bonzi – stolen from a private collection – had been smuggled to France, and investigators were looking into a possible link to Florida, said Carabinieri Maj. Salvatore Altavilla. He declined to provide more details, as the investigation is still underway.
Also recovered was a 660- pound marble altar front with mosaics dating from the 12th century, which had been stolen near Naples in November 2003; a decorated silver head of Saint Gregory; a second-century Roman child’s sarcophagus; and religious paintings.
