18.03.2026 09:10
In an operation held in Izmir, 7,550 pieces of historical artifacts intended to be smuggled to Italy were seized. It was revealed that the suspect driver had planned to hide the artifacts he found two years ago and create a secret compartment in his truck to take them abroad.
In the operation carried out at Çeşme Ulusoy Port, 7,550 pieces of coins and figures intended to be smuggled to Italy were seized. The incident occurred during the routine inspection of vehicles arriving at the port to go to Trieste Port on February 25.
THE DRIVER'S NERVOUSNESS ATTRACTED ATTENTION
Teams from the İzmir Customs Enforcement Smuggling and Intelligence Directorate became suspicious of the nervous movements of driver A.T. (32) while inspecting 280 trucks. In the driver's cabin of the truck directed to X-ray scanning, an unusual density was detected. In the vehicle, which was pulled into the hangar for a detailed search, a hidden compartment was found that had been added later with plastic materials to the back of the bed. A total of 7,550 historical artifacts were uncovered in 15 packages hidden in the compartment.
FOUND IT WHILE WORKING AS A EXCAVATOR OPERATOR 2 YEARS AGO
Details in the statement of the arrested driver A.T. drew attention. The suspect claimed that he accidentally found the artifacts while working as an excavator operator two years ago during an excavation. He argued that he did not report the situation to the authorities out of fear. The suspect confessed that after keeping the artifacts for two years, he planned to sell them abroad by making a hidden compartment in the truck of the logistics company where he started working as a driver.
While the artifacts delivered to the Çeşme Museum Directorate are being examined to determine their period, the prosecutor's office has deepened the investigation to unravel the connections of the smuggling network.