Smuggling Attempt at JFK Airport Resulted in Egyptian Antiquities Trafficker's Imprisonment

In a landmark ruling, Ashraf Omar Eldarir, an Egyptian doctor, was sentenced to six months in prison by a federal court judge on August 27. The sentencing came after an investigation recovered over 600 Egyptian artifacts, making it JFK's largest seizure of smuggled antiquities to date.

Eldarir was accused of looting Egypt's cultural treasures and lying to U.S. Customs about them as part of a web of deception. The artifacts were transported to the US on flights from Cairo to JFK Airport in New York in 2019 and early 2020.

Each time Eldarir smuggled artifacts into the US, he used fake provenances to sell those artifacts at U.S.-based auction houses. Among the items recovered were gold amulets from a funerary set and wooden tomb model figures dating to approximately 1900 BCE. Notable artifacts included a polychrome relief, an ancient Roman limestone stele, and an ancient Roman limestone head, which were later sold at auction for $1,000 and $1,300 respectively.

Forensic examiners determined the documents used as provenances were forgeries and the photographs had been photoshopped and aged. The sand and dirt spilling from the packaging of the artifacts indicated they had been recently excavated.

Eldarir was also found in possession of a kit of materials used to fabricate documentation for the stolen items. The US attorney's office called Eldarir a "prolific" trafficker of ancient Egyptian artifacts.

In February of this year, Eldarir plead guilty to four counts of smuggling Egyptian artifacts. The news of the prison sentence was first reported by The National.

This sentencing serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving cultural heritage and the consequences of illegal trafficking of antiquities.

Smuggling Attempt at JFK Airport Resulted in Egyptian Antiquities Trafficker's Imprisonment