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3,000-Year-Old Egyptian Artifact Returned by Officials
March 10, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Herbert Kercado, an agricultural specialist for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Miami, came across a rather interesting shipment a couple of years ago.
It came in a wooden crate which he closely inspected for the presence of beetles and other insect pests which could threaten trees and crops in the U.S. The crate was apparently clean, but its listed contents seemed peculiar: a wooden sarcophagus.
Kercado, a history buff who watches documentaries on TV, did some quick research, he says, "...through the internet. And [I] found out that some items were stolen from Egypt in the past." The ag specialist notified his superior, and an investigation was launched.
Special agent Vince Menditto, with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) caught the case. He was suspicious right away because of the casual way the supposedly-ancient artifact was packed.
"There were no humidity-protection devices inside... There was no acid-free paper," observed the investigator -- just styrofoam peanuts, shredded newspaper, and a felt blanket.
The paperwork trail was a bit hazy also. The 3,000 year old artifact supposedly came from a Spanish museum to an American broker on behalf of a Canadian purchaser. None of the parties could prove the Egyptian government had ever given its permission for removal of this piece of its ancient civilization.
A U.S. judge approved the seizure of the sarcophagus, and competing claims of ownership eventually melted away.