Basel-based Art Dealers to Return Stolen ‘loot’

A huge haul of antiquities found in Basel, Switzerland, in 2001 is to be returned to Italy. The items, taken from archeological sites in the eastern Italian region of Apulia and in northern Italy, were found in the possession of a married couple who are Basel-based art dealers. Swiss police seized them based on a tip from Italy, which conducted an 18-month investigation into antiquities smuggling.

The couple also faces charges. The woman could face prosecution in Switzerland for handling stolen goods, said Markus Melzl, a spokesman for Swiss prosecutors. Her husband has been charged in Italy with exporting cultural antiquities illegally, handling stolen goods and belonging to a criminal organization, Melzl said.

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