“Illicit” Middle Eastern antiquities up to 5,000 years old were seized by federal authorities in southern Maine in 2022 and 2023, according to court records.
Some of the artifacts were shipped to Maine from the United Kingdom, according to an affidavit in support of a search warrant that was filed in July and unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Portland.
The warrant was for the search and seizure records, invoices, and communications between the British company AtticArt and a woman connected to a property in Southport, an island southwest of Boothbay.
The investigation began in October 2022, after U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized a package in Indianapolis containing a bowl adorned with eagles and dragons from around 2200 B.C.E., which likely came from modern day Iran. The shipment came from AtticArt.
Importing items from Iraq and Iran requires a special license under federal law, which the people involved did not have, according to the affidavit.
The next AtticArt shipment went through Scarborough and was heading to the woman at the Southport property, according to court records. Overall, there were 138 import shipments to the Southport property between February 2015 and November 2022, with 40 of those imports coming from AtticArt, the affidavit said.
It is unclear if anyone has been criminally charged in connection to the alleged smuggling. The U.S. Attorney’s Office does not comment on an “ongoing investigation,” spokesperson Jana Spaulding said.
Three specific shipments of authenticated antiquities imported without a license are outlined in the warrant affidavit.
An agent with Homeland Security Investigations was alerted to a shipment coming from AtticArt, which arrived at a mail sorting facility in Scarborough on Oct. 5, 2022. A customs declaration listed the contents as an “antique amulet” worth about $150, the affidavit said.
When the agent opened the box, it contained a stone carved in the shape of a seated ram. AtticArt included a certificate of authenticity, saying it was from around 2800 B.C.E. in Sumeria and was sold for $792, according to the affidavit.
The agent contacted an expert who determined it is an antiquity from the Iraq and Iran region dating back to 3500 B.C.E., the affidavit said. The item was seized for repatriation, which will happen when there is a “normalization” of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Iran.
The federal government seized a black metal horned animal figurine that was shipped to Portland in November 2022. It appeared to have once been attached to a larger item, and was listed as an “ornament over 250 years old” on the customs declaration, the affidavit said.
Experts determined the item was from one of several civilizations in what is now southwest Iran from between 1000 B.C.E. and 0 C.E. There was no license to import items originating from Iran and the figurine was seized by the agent.
In June 2023, a small bronze sphinx was shipped to Portland. An expert determined the item came from present day Iran around 700 B.C.E. Again, there was no valid import license so the item was seized.
At least one shipment appeared to have a fake item, while at least two came from regions that are not restricted, according to the affidavit.
