U.S. Customs Recovers Ancient Italian Artifacts

Since the formation of I.C.E. in the mid-2000's the agency has been tasked with tracking and cracking art and antiquities smuggling in the U.S. and abroad.

The joint operation was conducted between U.S. and Italian authorities which is part of a larger effort to combat the black market in cultural artifacts.

Officials stated that the trail of evidence leads back to one Giacomo Medici. Medici assembled a large collection of smuggled antiquities in the mid-90's and was soon afterwards arrested.

Medici is believed to be responsible for thousands of artifacts reaching the world market.

I.C.E.'s mission often involves them working with co-operating agencies from other countries to deal with illegal trade.

Written by Seamus Esparza