Abu Dhabi: Three Arabs have been arrested for trying to illegally sell unique artefacts, the Abu Dhabi Police announced on Tuesday.
The three men, whose nationalities have yet to be released, were arrested at a hotel in Abu Dhabi with items such as antique daggers, old coins and scripts, which were seized.
Colonel Dr Rashid Mohammad Bu Rasheed, director of the Criminal Investigation Department, said the three men were under police surveillance and that they were intending to sell the artefacts for large sums of money.
Smuggling of artefacts is a serious crime with global laws put in place to try and stop the illegal black market sale of such antiques, Colonel Bu Rasheed added. He stressed the importance of protecting the heritage and legacy of civilisations by prosecuting those involved in smuggling and selling artefacts, and that the UAE would work diligently to nab such persons and prosecute them.
