Agents became suspicious when they noticed inconsistencies in the shipment's documentation. Customs invested the importer and the seller in Spain, and concluded the sarcophagus was indeed stolen property.

 

An Egyptologist verified that the sarcophagus is an authentic Egyptian artifact. With its elaborate hieroglyphs, the wooden coffin belonged to a prominent man named Imesy who lived during the 21st Dynasty of Egypt. After the sarcophagus was seized, the United States and the Spanish art gallery sold the artifact engaged in a legal battle over ownership. Eventually the gallery abandoned its challenge and Egypt’s ownership was ensured.

 

ICE arranged the repatriation ceremony at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington D.C. to officially return the sarcophagus to its home country .To prepare for its journey, agents thoroughly wrapped and boxed the delicate delivery for its departure from Miami.

 

Agents accompanied this sarcophagus to Washington and were greeted by staff from National Geographic who were on hand to make sure the precious cargo arrived safe and sound.

 

At the repatriation ceremony, representatives from the Egyptian and Untied States government signed the official custody documents. Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, and a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, accepted this sarcophagus on Egypt’s behalf.

 

"People can think that the best moment in the life of an archeologist is actually to discover something; but for me, the best thing is to return something to Egypt, I say this everywhere, the country that helped us a lot in the returning of the

stolen artifacts is United States" 

 

"The good news amongst the sad tale of international art theft and misappropriation is people do care. We do come together. It's a, it's a remarkable collaboration. We’re noticing that something…" 

 

Once the sarcophagus safely returns home, it will be put on  display at  the Global Egyptian  Museum in Cairo in early April, in an exhibition showcasing artifacts recovered in the last eight years. So far, approximately thirty-one thousand Egyptian artifacts have been repatriated, yet the number of items that are still illegally owned and distributed is unknown. The repatriation of the sarcophagus called attention to the ongoing struggle to protect ancient art and antiquities from the black market trade. Egyptian artifacts are often smuggled because there is a high demand for them on the international market, and as a result, countries such as Egypt have been robbed of their history and culture.

 

"...there it's looters who are dynamiting the tops of mountains in the Andes in a desperate search for Incan gold, or the silent world of illegal antiquities trade. Effect is the same. We have lost something, something that can’t be replaced, a piece of our history, ah, maybe a key that would have unlocked some past secret."

 

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the largest investigative agency in the US Department of Homeland Security, and it plays a leading role in combating the trafficking  of  lost or stolen cultural properties, art and antiquities, and returning them to their countries of origin.