(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOVEMBER 7 - More than 30,000 archeological artefacts, genuine or forged, have been seized as a result of an operation targeting trafficking of cultural goods, Europol said. Among the goods seized, Greek and Roman ceramics, helmets, funeral urns, lamps, arrowheads and spears, either genuine or forged, Europol noted. The seizures were made by the Spanish Guardia Civil and the Bulgarian Criminal police, with the support of Europol and Eurojust, with 17 property searches carried out in Bulgaria and Spain on the "action day" of October 23, the arrest of 13 suspects and 180,000 euros in cash seized.

"The investigation uncovered that the criminal gang had been operating mainly from Spain, and were illegally excavating and trafficking cultural goods looted from archaeological sites in Bulgaria," Europol said. "The criminals were also involved in the manufacturing of forged archaeological goods" and they were also selling the objects online on popular auction websites. (ANSA).