Cosenza: 46 Artifacts Stolen from the Crotone Area Returned to the State

Cosenza: 46 Artifacts Stolen from the Crotone Area Returned to the State

When: Wednesday 15 April 2026 at 10:00. Where: Sala Leone, Palazzo Arnone (National Gallery of Cosenza).

An official ceremony is scheduled tomorrow morning for the handover of 46 archaeological artifacts recovered during the operation called “Achei”. The items, retrieved by the Carabinieri’s Cultural Heritage Protection Unit, will be handed over to Filippo Demma, director of the Crotone and Sibari Archaeological Parks.

The ceremony will be attended by local authorities, including the Prefect of Cosenza and the Provincial Commander of the Carabinieri, together with other institutional representatives.

Recovery background

The investigation, launched in 2019 by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Crotone, uncovered an organized network of illegal excavations in the Crotone area, sometimes using metal detectors. A portion of the archaeological heritage had been removed from its original context and circulated through international trafficking channels.

• Recovered materials: vessels, coins and architectural fragments.
• Countries involved in trafficking: among others, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Serbia.
• Law enforcement involved: Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection Unit.

Next steps for the finds

The 46 artifacts will now be entrusted to the Crotone and Sibari Archaeological Parks for cataloguing, study and conservation in accordance with current regulations. These measures aim to reconstruct provenance and context and to enhance public access to the recovered heritage.

The return of the items is an important step for protecting Magna Graecia’s archaeological heritage and highlights the ongoing fight against illicit excavations that damage sites of historical and scientific value.