Stupid Plan

A Baghdad jewelry store owner Hassan (not his real name) called the idea of selling the good foolish. He explained, “Something like this is so famous we must not touch it — it’s too hot to handle,” he said. “Whoever wanted to sell it abroad must have been very stupid. “

Good Living

Hassan further said, “I pay looters very little, because they don’t know what these things are worth.”  “I would pay $50 apiece, then sell them to dealers for $5, 000. You can make a very good living selling these things.”

Serious Concern

Illegal trading has grown into a serious concern for the country. An Iraq specialist and professor of archaeology at Stony Brook University,  Elizabeth Stone says, “The trade in illegal artifacts operates exactly the same as money laundering or the drug trade.” She further states, “The potential for corruption is immense — the money could be used for drugs or even to fund terrorism.”

Back Where She Belongs

To be honest, the officers had lost the hope of finding the mask back. But the mask was meant to stay in her case. Maybe that is why she found her way back to the museum. This is just not an incredible story but also an alarming truth about the increasing audacities of smugglers.