Greek guard charged in crackdown on antiquities smuggling rings

ATHENS (Reuters) - A guard protecting ancient sites in northern Greece has been charged with involvement in a crime ring smuggling out artefacts and selling them abroad, police officials said on Friday.

The man was also suspended from the state body overseeing antiquities in the Serres region, the culture ministry said, a week after another 23 people were arrested in the north on charges of illegally excavating and exporting treasures.

Police said they confiscated thousands of coins and ancient artefacts including a bronze helmet, vases, figurines and jewellery during raids on homes and offices in last week's operation.

Officers also found explosive devices and dozens of metal detectors which the suspects were allegedly using to excavate antiquities, the force said.

In total, 50 people have been charged with playing a role in three separate criminal gangs that have been operating since September 2024. Police in January arrested one man after confiscating more than 2,400 antiquities in the same region, home to the archaeological site of Amphipolis.

In December, dozens of ancient artefacts were found in a basement in Athens, packed in old cardboard boxes and some of them were wrapped in newspapers dating back to the 1940s.

The guard, who worked the night shift, was suspended on Friday by order of the culture minister.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Yannis Souliotis; Editing by Andrew Heavens)