Nearly 700 artifacts seized in eastern Turkey

ARDAHAN, Turkey

Turkish security teams seized nearly 700 coins and other artifacts Thursday in eastern Turkey.

Acting on a tip-off, anti-smuggling and organized crime teams in Ardahan province stopped a vehicle belonging to a private courier company.

The security teams confiscated a number of historical artifacts hidden in a parcel filled with lemons.

Among the artifacts seized were 680 coins believed to belong to the Byzantine period and Medieval ages, an oil lamp and 14 other items.

Efforts to apprehend the person who shipped the parcel are ongoing.

The artifacts were examined and taken under protection by the Kars Museum Directorate.

*Writing by Burak Dag in Ankara