Istanbul Police Liberate Priceless Artifacts From Syrian Smuggler (PHOTOS)

The police in Istanbul police have busted a Syrian national in possession of several priceless millennia-old archaeological artifacts he was apparently trying to sell on the black market.

During a police operation conducted by the anti-smuggling department of the Istanbul police, officers in Fatih district discovered five priceless archaeological artifacts dating back to the times of the Old Assyrian Empire (approximately 2,000 B.C.) at the premises of a Syrian national. The suspect's name has not been disclosed yet.

Fatih'te Suriye uyruklu bir kişide Asur medeniyetine ait 5 parça tarihi eser ele geçirildi. pic.twitter.com/onNjRGn7Me

— SizinHaberiniz (@SizinHaberiniz) 2 февраля 2017 г.

​According to the Dogan News Agency, police officers conducting the search were acting on an anonymous tip about the suspect attempting to sell some valuables that he'd smuggled in from Syria.

Kendisinin suriye,den kaçtığı yetmezmiş gibi suriye,nin tarihi kültürünü de kaçırmış hain
https://t.co/WFjlU2Y0JT

— Adem Solmaz (@ademsolmaz42) 2 февраля 2017 г.

​The artifacts were apparently looted from Syrian museums and were going to be sold on the black market.

All pieces were submitted to the Istanbul Archaeology Museum, where they’re currently being studied by researchers.