Thai man arrested for selling dino fossils on web
Last Updated Fri, 25 Feb 2005 17:28:45 EST
CBC News
BANGKOK - Police in Thailand say they've arrested a man who was trying to smuggle dinosaur fossils and sell them over the internet.
Acting on a tip from American customs officials, undercover officers arrested Piriya Wachachitphan, 25.
More than 100 fossils were recovered in the bust.
Piriya told police he got the dinosaur fossils from villagers living near an archeological dig in northeast Thaliland. Some of the items originated in Cambodia.
He had also been shipping fossils to Britain, Canada, Hong Kong, China and Japan.
Police said the man has sold more than 1,000 cultural artifacts, including images of the Buddha worth more than $200,000, since 1999.
"Usually we found people selling one or two pieces," Mark Robinson, a Bangkok-based official for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, told a news conference. "We have not discovered an individual that had thousands of stolen pieces over the course of seven years."
Trading ancient artifacts is illegal in Thailand.
Piriya faces up to seven years in prison and a fine of over $18,000 US if found guilty.
Monday, February 28, 2005
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1 comment:
Shouldn't the job of tracking down people selling illegal stuff on the internet be easier than people fencing stuff by other means. Wouldn't you just be able to search for the add and pose as a buyer? I guess if they'll only mail it to you, then it's hard. Do you think they use PayPal?
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