Amid Greek austerity, plunder of priceless treasures (BBC)
By Theopi Skarlatos
BBC Fast Track, Athens
The financial crisis in Greece has already had far-reaching consequences for many people, but now it is claiming a new casualty as some of the country's ancient treasures become a target for thieves.
Detective Gergios Tsoukalis puffs nervously on his cigar. In the passenger's seat of a taxi, he grapples with four different mobile phones as he tries to co-ordinate the arrest of yet another antiquities smuggler.
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"They are more likely to either sell antiquities in their possession or search for them in abandoned excavation sites, in order to sell what they find to dealers who take them abroad.
"We've tracked down ancient Greek antiquities as far away as Columbia - in the hands of drug dealers".
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From the onset of the financial crisis in Greece, it became easier for people to steal and sell on artefacts because many sites, including those still being excavated are not adequately protected.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23373731
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