the hub for our traffic in the me a did in part by legal standards that are less stringent than in france. italy started doing, we're going to the main antique shops to see what they are selling. and if we can find anything that look interesting, this sharp draws his attention. there's a button with a red stain on the marble in the window. we begin to film using a hidden camera to avoid drawing the dealer's attention. we're posing as potential buyers. well, hello. hello, how are you? on was looking for a gift or our grandfather who is a collector. and if you do that, we're not exactly expert on the book. i'm going to look how subtle i

was. yes, it's incredible. the this is the boss ma gone desi. exported it's listed at $9500.00 euro's not to come. so where did the red marks come from that? probably due to the tide to soil. therein the stone won't go away after the seller doesn't mention the bust is from libya. he points to another bust which has the same characteristic red stain. so this one comes from egypt, right? what about that one? it must be from when at least the call right? it would have in the middle east as a vast region to vast by law, the dealer should know the precise origin of the antiquities you selling me. suddenly the dealer offers to cut the price by a $1000.00 euros. or i can tell you that 18500 or okay.

instead of 9005 a mess. thank you. will be in school. is the dealer telling the truth? put the but have come from egypt for the middle east as he claims. ah, to have children there not addiction or from the middle east there, sir, and i can again for their definitely libyan sculpture for they both come from an eastern libya. so how were these antiquities removed from libya? the we come to the in godaddy in eastern libya. the city was devastated by civil war. the

as we travel up the coast, we encounter ruins from us, far more distant era, getting back to ancient greek and roman times. the ruins are accessible. a kind of open air museum for local visitors. the sites are under guard, others aren't ah, if you know where to look, priceless antiquities are practically free for the taking the we meet another student of archaeology. deep sea diving assad's favorite pastime. he's also determined to stop the looting of antiquities. many can be found here in this 2000 and year old barbara. it's now under water. marble. but like this one can

weigh over 100 kilos and can't be moved easily. there are also dozens of and for a, for agnes, the patients and look, a diver might find something like this, the head of a statue. it's been lying on the bottom of the sea for 2000 years. i don't want us to be seen on the low. we've been lucky today. sod worries that if you've seen with a bust the area might attract looters. we need to be very careful or goss, i'm hiding it. so no one sees it. otherwise, people will come looking for more objects. so worth a fortune one. in libya,

a looter might receive $500.00 euros for the bust. but on the other side of the mediterranean, in europe, a bust like this might fetch 10000 euros 20 times the original price. everything sod, fine, he turns over to the head of the local museum for safe keeping. up with the antiquities he is rescued over the past. the years are kept in this safe worried about burglary. the burglars ones came in through the window. i tried to open the say the couldn't. so they forced the door up and so force into pieces from the museum. i remember the ceramics that have, we don't know where they ended up. so. so

ah, one city in the east of libya is particularly appealing to looters. so i really sometimes referred to as the athens of africa. i, the most prized statues come from the ruins of this ancient city, which extends over an area covering many square kilometers. ah, there are temples and amphitheaters ah, in the cemetery 10 square kilometers inside local sometimes build their houses on top of ancient ruins. the most valuable antiquities are usually found in tunes local authorities tried to prevent looting,

but often with little success. the major shot sends out daily patrols. his police unit is in charge of preserving cultural heritage. his unit has just 30 officers. they're committed to their work, but they're vastly outnumbered. i think the whole class does look someone doug here class. the tooth was clearly looted up project and not all that long ago. nothing urgent that you know, there are at least 3 grades inside and shuffled the loo to remove the soil through this hole and might even have worked in broad daylight. yeah. let me kind of as you can see what's happening on the outside just in the how much washington he probably had an accomplice that kept watch in case the police came. it's not hard to escape

if you know the area we atlanta 3. yeah. yeah. you're going to get me the police are virtually powerless and find looted, tombs almost daily. the area here is far too vast to catch looters in the act. but i went to the beginning in 2013, the atlantic state and other groups divide for control over the region. hooting became a weapon of war. for years, eastern libya remained in the grip of fierce fighting between islamic militia and military forces. in their propaganda videos, the i s glorify their fighters hitting out on suicide mission and they also boast of their destruction of archaeological sites. what they failed to mention is how

much profit they read from large scale trafficking and antiquities. ah eunice ali museum in a city that was under the control of rog, malicious until summer 2018 i li risked his life to hide the most precious antiquities which would have sold for tens of thousands of years on the black market. i the, he's objects i managed to remove from the museum. they did break the base of this statue, but i know they were planning to sell it. they tried to steal so many artifacts in the bank. i said he knew he was able to rescue 85 objects including many but since statues this morning, he's meeting with his colleagues from serena, their 1st meeting in

a while and that has happened, as they said, they would try me for these steps. and if i were found guilty, they would enforce cherry a lot more the punishment for them, just the cut of your hand or with you in public. some people die. somebody in eunice aaliyah was interrogated several times, but refused to reveal the location of the artifacts. for a full year, he lived in constant fear. the libyan authorities say that terrorist groups, including ones affiliated with the limits, paid or funded by the sale of thousands of antiquities. but whom are they sold to? a team of spanish police officers think there's a link between terrorist groups and to cut a line or dealer fernando poor,

so as head of the spanish police historical heritage unit. he's come all the way to tripoli to interview witnesses. first, all the items were investigated comes from a specific region in libya, from human icon right. now here's one of the items we see in this head was wrapped in a blanket as month me a few months earlier or so let us search of this bar. so, loading our gallery, dozens of valuable antiquities, were seized. the statues are valued between 50100000 euros. ah, me, the spanish dealer was arrested and charged with helping to finance terrorism. it's the 1st case of its kind in europe pena. our investigation was triggered by several export licenses requested by this famous barcelona antiquities de la, who had many objects from libya on exhibit professor aroused our suspicions. psyche

extra, right? you know me. so who is the boss? alona antiquities dealer charged with trafficking in antiquities received through a terrorist organization. though still in his thirty's sharma, by god, is a respected dealer known for trading and rare objects. the during the investigation spanish police intercepted more than $30000.00 emails. somewhere between almost god and his middle man in antiquities dealer in libya, the date from 2015 a time when the law mac state health sway over the region. after reading these emails, fernando port sales team discovered how the content on dealer and its middleman,

laundered looted antiquities regarding a bike that sold for 30000 euros with i got road put a low value on the invoice. marble head over 100 years old. 500 euro i libby and accomplish complied and we wrote the providence polluted last. i need you to write on the invoice origin, private collection predating 1970. that will help get it through customs. thank you . the policy on case, and he asked him to rise that it comes from a collection that they did before. 971. he actually boston 2015 here you can see the head, the middle man, bolt in the united arab emirates. and here the same piece, a few months later we'll restore you in the capital of the antiquity. go millennia

. ah, when i'm on the dealer was released, pending trial. he denies but charges against him. that i mean, i know who the trial will be decisive. that's when we will know whether we succeeded or not. but in any case, this is a big step. since it's the 1st time in the world that someone is going to be tried for trafficking in antiquities and financing terrorism, as well as if you know i, the trial is scheduled to take place within a few months. for now, the cut on antiquities dealer is back in business. we decide to pay him a visit at the opening of the fatty arctic madrid's art and antiques, fer where he has a large stand. though it's still morning visitors are already here and throws

ah, ah, by god has yet to grant a television interview on the case. we tell him we're doing a report on the ard market to get him on camera. and he agrees to be filmed to know if i'm going to shoot, i started collecting roman coins. when i was 10, i've devoted my life 20 equities. but i mean, as you interest me, think what i was feeling are facing serious accusation here without marriage. either some of them, and i thought they say you fun to terrorism, that's absurd, because you don't get will not, but you sold items from libya, a country of war by the route. that's not true. it's not. you know, what experts confirmed the object came from libya, you're not tested. and how do you explain that? and april 2nd was my document at the origin and unconvinced my trial will prove my

innocence. that's the only possible outcome we can keep talking. but stop filming now, because you know, most of them she's been given her instant, please turn off. the camera will turn off the camera by the gentleman, by god is not the only dealer in europe suspected of laundering artifacts looted in libya and then selling them. but how are these antiquities brought into europe without attracting attention? what routes to the traffickers use? the libyan police officers tell us what they know. they explained that most of the antiquities are transported illegally across the desert. the mito pc to go, but it is. i use the tribes but especially in smuggling, but i'm going to do i'm that's how the objects pass through the border puzzles me

and that he should be retraced the journey of these antiquities from the departure inside reeney, libya, egypt, and most of the ancient works of art is sold in an area located in the desert. the laces were being sent to the sinai, and on to israel. now, almost from israel, their ships to the united arab emirates or the jordan. after that, the 2 police officers lose track of the pass taken by the looted antiquities, are honest, and all they know is that many traffickers and buyers establish contact on social media motorcycle lives of m. i'm ready to confirm that that they need us to pay for transport and make more money orders and local traffickers. now start to look for foreign clients directly on websites, social media, wymond facebook. what's the, what's the, what's the problem? that's how they get better offers. the which will be,

show me, we create a fake collectors profile on facebook, calling him only we infiltrate private groups, made up of looters and dealers within a short amount of time. all he has acquired a lot of friends. the dealers are based in libya, syria and iraq, and they share videos of their treasure, hunts, and tips for acquiring the most valuable objects. the share drawings to explain how to spot terms give advice on the best tools to use. like stay the metal detectors when we get in

touch with several of them, they all speak arabic, but we managed to communicate using online translation tools. this rocky introduce himself as a broker who sells antiquities from the middle east, such as this small statue from syria. it's an exceptional find the archaeologists we contact estimate. it's about 4000 years old. the broker asked for $10000.00 for it. i the the,

we don't pursue the contact. this kind of small statue could be smuggled in a suitcase traveling from turkey to paris without raising any suspicions at all. the cases like these that have also attracted the attention of montgomery busy. the researcher also assists the o. c, b c. the french central police unit, the combat trafficking of cultural property, his boss that the o, c, b, c, colonel, d, d, a l g is allowing a camera in the unit a rare exception. this is or is it doesn't have consist sculpture from the sy reeney necropolis, and egypt still has fresh earth that sticks to your fingers is now in

a container on its way to asia. this me, as the spanish case, the french investigators look for big provinces and false owners to cover their tracks. traffickers invent a past whether antiquities, including fake sales gone busy, had developed a computer program to help. the software aims to record all sales of antiquities from libya over the past 150 years. so it's a kind of cartography and it'll take this object. you can see where it was made. it's fantastic. and where it was sold, the lot number, the sale price and the buyer song of things. and if a seller says it comes from a collection, we can check cancer even when in a ticket he arrives in europe. the documentation helps set the laundering process in motion,

and then the object circulates from buyer to buyer professional to professional very quickly. the goal is to auction it at a top price plan to the senior said developed with lots of possible re max. you know the bell g as a team of 26. not a lot given the scale of the problem. they're dealing with the system or more. it's not often you get to work on pieces of such aesthetic beauty with the da belgy and his team are also on the trail of a new type of trafficking. small dealers who work exclusively online, i do want to talk to soft manned is rising. the passage the internet has made it easier to traffic items of relatively low value. we've observed that most of the objects for sale tend to go for no more than 4000 or 5000 euro from, you know, it's

a clever and silent form of crime. digital e commerce platforms are a popular place to look for small artifacts that are easy to transport and hide. there's something for every budget. this little cherry from syria, for instance, is listed at 1200 euros. the seller offers many other objects all from the middle east. the me, we've located his address. he lives in the north of france and owns a concierge company. we make an appointment with him, claiming to be prospective buyers. the portal

is here. hello, did you find your way easily? yes, and the issue of are you interested in anything in particular? we saw some sculptures that looked like cherry a shot you. oh yes, i just pulled one out. how many items do you have? i'm not sure. but between $1.20 every month, this man sells dozens of antiquities online. busy some are stolen even though france band, the import of antiquities, from places under terrorist control in 2016 the, in your, where does this come from syria, iraq or it was a bus barrier at the time. did you acquire them long ago?

no, 6 months ago. i just wanted, oh, quite recently. and how did you find them? i do a lot of searching for me. the contact community. many of the time i felt a network of contacts and connection work with you. i don't have the entire history of who learned it before. but getting me the information is vague, but it's clear the seller hopes to reassure us. you can if the origin is dubious, an invoice would prove that we purchased it in good faith. if the police knocked on our door, we wouldn't be prosecuted me. so i can send you an invoice with a certificate of authenticity that go with an invoice. we won't have any problems or we of course not certain of those. ok. so no one will ask when the object looked at country of origin. so you know,

you can even leave france with it. thank you. a lovely collection of exhort. thank you. goodbye over. ah, we weren't the only ones interested in this dealer. he'd been under police observation for several months. shortly after our visit, the police searched his home and investigation was launched to determine whether he sold antiquities from iraq and syria and provided indirect financing to terrorist groups. ah, what happens to these blood antiquities once they've been seized? they can't be sent back to their countries of origin as long as these remain conflict zones. the most valuable objects are kept in a secret place in the heart of paris. especially not very many journalists have

filled tear archeologist bye. so michelle is one of the few people allowed in the libyan statues are still sealed. their investigation is still in progress. but they're scheduled to go on display in the loop or museum within the year. exposing the goods can be exhibited while it searches conducted for their rightful owner for maybe not all 4 of them, but at least the 2 small statues whose heads are still intact. and that's the archaeologist hopes to raise awareness of the problem. the blood antiquities and spur the authorities into action. ah, 2nd, even if we're just lovers or amateurs, we're all affected. terrorists could be involved. when it comes to blood antiquities, we don't want to overreact. we want to remain vigilant. ah,

how long will it take before blood antiquities are banned from exhibitions and auction houses? frances special unit is investigating several cases. unfortunately, the outcomes still won't be known for quite some time. ah. the cake on the way. back in time. when black german football is exhausted and remote, and now this presence is a matter of fact, also have snow in through d, w me in the leisurely lifestyle.

china's tropical island. paradise for surfers. but the country is dream. beaches aren't just about fun and relaxation. young surfers are training in the lead to national program or target a limping goal for china. ah, william had to be honest with i and i had known that the would be that small. i never would have gone on the train. i would not have put myself and my parents danger. got in the team. it'll either leave with love and spend that money

because i had serious problems on a personal level. and i was unable to live. there wasn't gonna, ah, you want to know their story, migrant, clarifying and reliable information from me . ah, this is date of the news and these are the top stories. the u. s. is denying claims by cave is communist regime. that is to blame for a wave of anti government protests. cubans took to the streets in their thousands on sunday, protesting against food shortages, rising prices and record over 19 infection.