Priceless art returned

SPAIN has given 691 pieces of illegally exported art back to Colombia.

The pieces were recovered during a police operation called 'Florencia' which aimed to locate around 1,000 works of art which were bought in Colombia and other countries and then illegally exported to Spain.

Ignacio Cosido, Director General of the National Police, commented that the Heritage Brigade of the National Police was working constantly to recover not only Spain’s lost heritage but the heritage of many other countries.

The handover of the works of art took place at the Museum of America where the pieces were kept and looked after until they could be given back. The Colombian ambassador, Fernando Carrillo, was among those in attendance at the handover presentation as well as Ignacio Cosido and the director of the museum, Jesus Prieto.

The collection given back is of scientific and cultural interest as it tells the history of the development of Colombia. The majority of the pieces are ceramic works and of historical relevance given that they represent the Colombian cultures existent between 1,000 – 1,400 BC right through to the 16^th century.

Many of the pieces recovered were discovered in the commission of drug busts and money laundering scams – it would appear that they were used as currency on the illegal market.