Tomb Raiders exist and treasure hunters are still being prosecuted for beating archaeologists to the find. Why? Because buried treasure is a non-renewable resource which tells us about our history, especially when the finds are taken in context, and thus a crime to humanity.
In China four people were severly punished for looting tombs in the Shaanxi province.
In Iraq the looting continues in museums and palaces.
There are three basic levels of operatives in the black market trade in art and antiquities: tombaroli, middle men and customers. Tomb robbers and customers are many but the middle men – wholesalers and primary dealers – are few and form closely connected mafias with regional specialities. Key figures at each level are known to the authorities as well as to scholars. Istanbul, Munich, Zurich, London and New York are hubs of the trade. Artefacts flow along routes used by drug dealers and arms merchants.
Since penalties for possession of loot are light, they buy art to launder profits from their other enterprises.
Robin