Egypt Catches Mummy Smugglers

Maggie Michael in Cairo, Egypt
Associated Press

March 13, 2008

Egyptian police confiscated four ancient mummies on Wednesday and arrested three antiquities smugglers who had stolen them from an ancient graveyard, a security official said.

Wrapped in layers of linen and decorated with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, the mummies were found in the southern province of Minya, 135 miles (220 kilometers) south of Cairo, the official said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press.

The three smugglers also were found with ten small ancient statues. They confessed that they had planned to sell the objects to antiquities brokers, the official said.

The mummies are of a child and three men, but no further details were available, the official said. Archeologists were summoned to check the mummies, he added.

Egypt has drastically stepped up efforts in recent years to stop the trafficking of its antiquities. It has warned foreign museums that it will not help them mount exhibitions on ancient Egypt unless they return smuggled artifacts.

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