The trade in illicit antiguities has exploded over the past 40 years. They are torn from standing monuments, secretly dug out from the ground, or stolen from museums. Sites that have a historical, cultural or religious significance are vandalized or destroyed to supply antiguities that are traded around the world before eventually coming to rest in the public and private collections of Europe and North America, and increasingly the Far East. Links have been demonstrated with other illegal activities including drugs trafficking and timber extraction.
