In 2023, the Carabinieri recovered more than 100 thousand cultural properties

Over one hundred thousand assets recovered with a value of more than 260 million euros. This, in a nutshell, is the result of the operations of the Carabinieri of the Cultural Heritage Protection Command in 2023. Last year, the military of the weapon, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, operating through sixteen Units and a Section located in different Italian regions, under the command of the Rome and Monza Groups, together with a National Operations Department equipped with specialized Sections by subject and a Command Office responsible for the management of the database of works to be searched, the oldest and most extensive in the world (with more than 1.300,000 files), have recovered a total of 105,474 art goods, with a total estimated value of 264,055,727 euros. This global figure is reported in the document “Operational Activity 2023” of the specialized unit of the Arma, which was established in 1969 to fulfill Article 9 of the Italian Constitution (“the Republic protects the landscape and the historical and artistic heritage of the Nation”) and which, in more than fifty years of activity, has returned more than three million cultural goods to their rightful owners, both public and private.

In 2023, operational activity shows a gradual decrease in crimes against cultural heritage. In particular, a little over a year after the entry into force of Law No. 22 of March 22, 2022, which introduced amendments to the criminal provisions concerning the protection of cultural heritage mainly in the Code of Cultural Heritage (Legislative Decree 42/2004) and supplemented the Criminal Code with 17 new articles (from 518-bis to 518-undevicies), the first positive signs are noticeable, as shown by the comparative analysis of the data with respect to 2022. Meanwhile, there was a slight reduction in thefts (from 333 to 267) and stolen items (from 4,144 to 3,483). There was then an increase in recovered goods (from 48,522 to 105,474) of which archaeological finds (from 17,275 to 67,963), book/archival (from 8,653 to 24,445), numismatic goods (from 48 to 286), and graphic/painting and mosaic objects (from 328 to 1,102). There was also an intensification of the activity of checking archaeological areas and sites (from 1,538 to 1,874), and the results of law enforcement increased: arrests ordered by the A.G. (from 6 to 20), indictments for criminal conspiracy (from 39 to 47), and referrals for clandestine excavation (from 66 to 130).

Also last year, law enforcement activity led to the recovery of 67,963 archaeological finds and 10,273 paleontological artifacts, with 130 people referred for clandestine excavation. In the antiques sector, there was a significant decrease in thefts, especially from private homes (from 91 to 79) and places of worship (from 135 to 92). During the same period, 1,957 checks were carried out at antiques establishments and 624 checks at markets and fairs, with the total recovery of 105,474 items, including 24,445 archival and bibliographic documents, 1,102 paintings, and 369 sculptures.

The enforcement activity led to the referral of 477 subjects for receiving stolen goods and 37 for illegal export of goods of cultural interest. In the context of combating counterfeiting, 109 subjects were referred (a 29 percent increase over 2022) and 1,936 counterfeit works were seized (a 56 percent increase over 2022), including 61 in the antiquarian, archival, and book sector, 535 in the archaeological and paleontological sector, and 1,340 in the contemporary art sector. The estimated value of counterfeit works, if placed on the market, was approximately €45,399,150.

During 2023, for landscape and monument protection activities, the TPC Command organized 1,991 monitoring services of land and marine landscape areas, referring 78 subjects for damage and 202 for landscape crimes.

In relation to online monitoring activities, given the increased use of telematic channels for illicit trade and export of cultural goods, the TPC Command found it necessary to upgrade its search and control computer systems through the S.W.O.A.D.S. (Stolen Works Of Art Detection System) project. This system, based on artificial intelligence, allows the automatic collection of data and images from the web, deep web, and social media to compare with photos of the works to be searched. In 2023, more than 984 websites were monitored and 6,674 assets were examined. As a result of this monitoring, 31,689 assets were recovered from the websites (compared to 4,935 in the previous year), including 18,734 archival and book assets, 536 archaeological artifacts, 9,337 numismatic assets, 91 fake works, 60 sculptures, 147 paintings, as well as the referral of 101 people to the Judicial Authority.

In the context of countering organized crime in the cultural heritage sector, immediate results were obtained through two major operations. The first is the “Cales” operation, conducted by the Carabinieri TPC Unit in Naples, which led to the arrest in flagrante delicto of two individuals caught during clandestine excavations and apprehended after illegally acquiring archaeological goods, as well as the arrest of another individual at the border with Switzerland for illegally exporting cultural goods. Numerous archaeological finds, including more than 1,700 coins, were recovered during the operation, and 15 metal detectors used to search for ancient metal artifacts were seized. The second is the “Canusium” operation by the Bari TPC Unit, coordinated by the Trani Public Prosecutor’s Office, which dismantled a criminal association dedicated to clandestine excavation, theft, fencing and illegal export of archaeological and numismatic artifacts. During the investigation, a total of 3,586 archaeological, numismatic and ceramic goods of inestimable historical, artistic and commercial value were found and seized in various regions of Italy. Fifty-one subjects were investigated and 21 restraining orders were issued.

Also, as part of the collaboration with other Commands and Entities, Operation PANDORA VIII, led by Spain and in which Italy participates as co-leader, is worth mentioning. During this operation, controls aimed at combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property were carried out with the following operational results: 107 items seized, including 87 ceramics, 5 coins/medals, 2 documents/books, and 13 paintings; 1,462 suspicious items, but not subject to seizure, including 11 carpets/ricami/razzi, 34 ceramics, 2 documents/books, 100 drawings, 120 pieces of furniture, 65 icons, 3 mosaics, 940 paintings, 4 prints, 55 religious objects, 115 statues/sculptures, and 13 other miscellaneous items.

Among the main actions carried out at the international level, the collaboration between Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection Command personnel and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in New York (DAO), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) - Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) played a major role in the recovery of cultural assets belonging to the unavailable heritage of the Italian state. Thanks to this synergy, 1,093 high-value works of art, the result of thefts, clandestine excavations, illicit exports and receptions, with a total value of hundreds of millions of euros, were identified, seized and repatriated, in addition to their priceless historical and cultural value. Among the repatriated goods is a marble head depicting Emperor Septimius Severus, dated the second century AD, which was previously the subject of armed robbery at the Antiquarium of the Campanian amphitheater in Santa Maria Capua Vetere (Caserta) on Nov. 18, 1985, and later found at auction in New York with a starting price of $600,000.

In addition, during 2023, the “Blue Helmets of Culture” Task Force intervened with emergency actions following the floods in Emilia Romagna and Tuscany. During these operations, the following were recovered in their respective regions: 48,646 ancient books, 6,305 linear meters of archival documentation, 75 paintings and drawings, 22 statues and busts, 265 sculptures of various materials, 147 ancient weapons and related ammunition, 1,114 war relics, and various archaeological and anthropological artifacts. In addition, the following were recovered: 632 linear meters of archival property, 9,000 photographic negatives, and 2 church properties.

In 2023, the Carabinieri recovered more than 100 thousand cultural properties

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