Sichuan police bust relic-trafficking gangs
Xinhua, October 13, 2016 Adjust font size:
Police in southwest China's Sichuan Province have busted 10 relic-trafficking gangs, with 70 suspects detained, authorities said Thursday.
More than 1,000 cultural relics were retrieved after almost two years of investigations, police in Sichuan's Meishan City said. The items were sold for 300 million yuan (45 million U.S. dollars).
In early 2014, Meishan police found evidence that the suspects had been digging for relics at a river where treasures of an ancient Chinese army official were submerged.
The suspects obtained huge profits by trafficking the relics across more than 10 provinces and cities in China, according to initial investigations.
Sichuan police mobilized more than 3,000 police officers in a nationwide crackdown, with many of the relics retrieved, police said. Endi