Shafaq News- Babil

Seventy-three antiquities were recovered during an operation targeting the illegal trade of Iraq’s historical relics, the Babil Police Command disclosed on Thursday.

The operation resulted in the arrest of two suspected traffickers, caught while selling the items to undercover officers. Authorities did not specify the historical era to which the pieces belong.

Iraq has recovered more than 40,000 artifacts in 2024 and 2025 through domestic seizures and international repatriation campaigns, according to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Antiquities. In one of the latest operations on Tuesday, the National Security Service uncovered 255 archaeological relics hidden inside abandoned quarries between the southern provinces of Basra and Dhi Qar.

Under Iraq’s Antiquities Law No. 55 of 2002, individuals who fail to hand over archaeological finds to the state within 30 days face penalties of up to 10 years in prison, in addition to fines worth twice the estimated value of the objects. The law also imposes prison terms of up to 15 years for the theft of antiquities and heritage property.