85 arrests for illegal traffic in archaeological remains and gold in Spain: "85 people have been arrested in Spain for the theft of archaeological remains and the illegal traffic in gold.

The joint police operation between the National Police and Guardia Civil also saw as many as 115 searches being carried out in Madrid, Sevilla, Córdoba, Jaén, Málaga, Granada and Valencia.
The leading members of the network were based in Jaén, Córdoba, Sevilla and Granada.

Among the items recovered were 55 kilos of cast gold, 120 kilos of gold and silver in total, a large amount of jewellery, seven firearms, thousands of pieces dating from the Roman era, and 900,000 € in cash.

The Roman items included arrowheads, coins and there were also items from medieval and Visigoth times recovered.

A workshop used for restoration and falsification work was also discovered, and a parallel money laundering investigation is continuing and 100 or so bank accounts have been blocked.

Once some members the group stole the items from the ground, others would then catalogue, clean and restore them, to be offered in private auctions held on the internet. Direct sales to known collectors also took place."

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