Smuggled Egyptian artifacts bound for Maryland forfeited in federal case

The U.S. government has secured the forfeiture of 14 ancient Egyptian artifacts illegally smuggled into the United States, including a limestone statue valued at approximately $6 million, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Baltimore said Monday.

A U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland issued a default judgment completing the forfeiture. 

The smuggled items include amulets, stone figurines, a vase, and an Old Kingdom Limestone Funerary Statue that likely originated from royal cemeteries in Saqqara or Giza near ancient Memphis in present-day Egypt.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered and seized the artifacts at several international airports between August 2020 and April 2021.

How were the artifacts discovered?

CBP identified the artifacts while inspecting parcels from overseas shippers transiting through airports in Anchorage, Alaska, Cincinnati, Ohio, and New York City.

At least one shipment was destined for a private collector in Edgewater, Maryland.

Shipping paperwork contained deceptive descriptions of the contents, listing items as "home décor," "stone garden statue," or "decoration."  

Historians and antique appraisers working with CBP later confirmed the true value of each artifact.

What happens next?

In similar cases, the Justice Department said it has worked through appropriate channels to return smuggled ancient artifacts to their rightful owners in the country of origin.

"These ancient artifacts are more than just relics of the past; they are irreplaceable pieces of global cultural heritage that tell the story of human civilization,"  Evan Campanella, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, Baltimore, said.