Smugglers who wanted to sell Scythian Gold from Ukraine for over EUR 60 million detained in Spain

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) together with the Bureau of Economic Security (BES) and the police of the Kingdom of Spain neutralized a transnational criminal group that illegally took out Scythian Gold products from Ukraine for sale in the European Union. This is stated in the notification of the SSU.

Thus, it is reported that as a result of an international special operation, five members of a gang who tried to illegally sell Ukrainian artifacts were detained in Madrid. Among those detained is a representative of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the moscow Patriarchate (UOC MP) from Ukraine.

During the investigation, 11 stolen gold objects of the cultural heritage of our country worth more than EUR 60 million were seized from the perpetrators.

We are talking about precious objects of the 8th - 9th centuries BC, including gold earrings, a pendant, chokers and a pectoral.

According to the investigation, those involved illegally took out artifacts from Ukraine to the European Union in the period of 2014-2020.

The attackers then tried to "legalize" the stolen cultural values under the guise of their acquisition by foreign collectors and subsequent resale on the black market.

The law enforcement officers documented the criminal actions of those involved and arrested them "red handed" during the transportation of Ukrainian artifacts.

An investigation is underway to establish all the circumstances of the crime and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Seized antiquities were arrested and an expert opinion that they belong to the cultural heritage of Ukraine was obtained.

The SSU also emphasized that comprehensive measures are underway to establish the location of all Ukrainian artifacts of Scythian Gold that were stolen from the territory of our state.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the counter-intelligence of the Security Service of Ukraine conducted a special operation, as a result of which another FSB agent group was neutralized in the Donetsk Region. The intruders scouted the locations and movements of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine involved in the battles in the Avdiyivka axis.