The Civil Guard of Seville, in collaboration with the Civil Guard Post of Baena (Córdoba), has concluded the Plotina operation with the arrest of a couple in Baena, who are charged with the alleged commission of crimes against Historical Heritage, smuggling and reception, and has managed to recover 119 extraordinarily valuable archaeological pieces, including a 1,900-year-old Roman marble bust.
This was revealed during the presentation of the pieces this Monday at the Archaeological Museum of Córdoba by the delegate of the Government of Spain in Andalusia, Pedro Fernández; the delegate of the Junta in Córdoba, Adolfo Molina, and the Brigadier General in Chief of the IV Zone of the Andalusian Civil Guard, Alfonso Rodríguez Castillo; together with the colonel of the Seville Command, Luis Ortega Carmona, and the colonel of the Córdoba Command, Ramón María Clemente Castrejón, among other authorities.
The delegate of the Government of Spain in Andalusia, Pedro Fernández, has explained that this operation is framed in turn in the international operation led by the Civil Guard Pandora VII, with the support of Europol and Interpol, and that it is aimed at the fight against illicit traffic of cultural property.
In this context, the Civil Guard has detailed that after numerous interviews with sources, meetings with collectors, attendance at forums specialized in works of art trades and periodic inspections in premises and establishments for the sale of cultural property, it became aware of the existence of a married couple with a police record who could be dedicating themselves to the internal trade in cultural goods on the black market.
Within the “hermetic and complex” world of the art market, it was possible to verify that those investigated led a normal life, without great luxuries, acting at different times of the day in order to go completely unnoticed and to be able to introduce historical goods into the illicit market. thus obtaining great economic benefits.
After several intense months of operations, a storage room was discreetly located in the town of Baena (Córdoba) where some of the looted archaeological pieces could be stored. Once this point has been confirmed, three entries and searches are carried out in said town and two people are arrested.
The categorization of the pieces found is very diverse: from absolutely exceptional sculptures, architectural elements or ceramics to ancient Greek, Ibero-Roman and Roman coins of exotic rarity.
Regarding the pieces of sculpture seized, a Roman female marble bust-portrait is the most important of this group, being a “unique and absolutely exceptional piece”, of artistic quality similar to those exhibited in major museums such as the Louvre in Paris or the Capitoline Hills of Rome.
It is a private portrait from the first third of the 2nd century, following portrait models of imperial princesses who, due to the type of hairstyle, are similar to those of Salonina Matidia, Trajan’s niece and mother of Vibia Sabina, Hadrian’s wife.
It is also worth noting the discovery of the late-antique Corinthian limestone capital, dating from the 7th century. This architectural element responds to a typology represented by very few specimens and whose carving is of “exceptional” quality.
Regarding the group of coins, the seizure of a silver Republican Roman coin, after the year 44 B.C., stands out in the same way. It is a denarius that matches the type issued by Brutus, one of Caesar’s assassins, intended to pay for his army in the war against Octavian. Very rare coinages, of which very few copies are preserved.
Once intervened and recovered, the sets of pieces have been transferred to the Archaeological Museum of Córdoba for their custody, conservation and expert opinion.
In this operation, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport of the Junta de Andalucía has collaborated through two expert archaeologists from the Archaeological Museum of Córdoba.
Those arrested and investigated have been brought to justice for the alleged commission of the crimes of illegal trafficking of archaeological goods belonging to the Spanish Historical Heritage, smuggling and crimes of receiving archaeological material from looting.
The operation called Plotina Pandora VII and carried out by agents of the Heritage Team of the Organic Unit of the Judicial Police of Seville, in collaboration with the Civil Guard Post of Baena (Córdoba), has meant a great advance in the fight against the illicit traffic of cultural goods after the recovery of 119 archaeological pieces of great potential and patrimonial relevance.
In reference to the development of the Pandora VII operation, which Spain leads internationally through the Civil Guard, it has concluded with 60 people arrested, 237 investigated and 11,049 seized cultural assets. A total of 1,079 of these assets have been intervened by the Civil Guard, with 19 detainees and 58 investigated.
Most of these goods are religious or liturgical objects, old coins, sculptures or ceramic pieces.
