BEIJING
— Chinese police have caught 175 looters who broke into a Neolithic
archaeological site in what officials are calling the country's biggest
recovery of stolen artifacts.
The
Ministry of Public Security announced Tuesday that the operation
rescued 1,168 cultural relics worth more than 500 million yuan, or about
$80 million.
The
looters are suspected of illegally excavating in Niuheliang, a site in Northeastern Liaoning province that includes tombs and other facilities,
the ministry said. Authorities found artifacts such as a coiled jade
dragon, which is one of the earliest known representations of the
mythological creature.
The
ministry said the looters were split into 10 gangs that handled
everything from site excavation to sales. More than 1,000 police from
six provinces took part in the recovery operation.
The statement did not say when the recovery operation took place.
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