Canada Returns Seized Antiquities to Bulgaria

Canada returned 21,000 coins, jewelry and other rare antiquities to Bulgaria on Friday that had been illegally excavated and smuggled into the country, the government announced.

The seizure and return of the illegally imported cultural objects, which cover more than 2,600 years of Bulgarian history, was the largest ever in Canada.

"This return of items to their country of origin demonstrates Canada's commitment to stopping the trafficking in cultural property and recover illegally imported goods," Heritage Minister James Moore said in a statement.

In 2007, Canada Border Services Agency officials detained two imports of cultural property sent by mail from Bulgaria, and referred them for assessment to the Canadian heritage department, which called in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to investigate.

The importer formally abandoned the items in January, clearing the way for a Canadian court to order their repatriation to Bulgaria.

The collection represents a mix of Hellenistic, Roman, Macedonian, Byzantine, Bulgarian and Ottoman cultural heritage, and includes more than 18,000 coins, bronze eagles, rings, pendants, belt buckles, arrows, spearheads and bone sewing needles.

Bulgaria's Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov accepted the artifacts from the Canadian government at a ceremony in Gatineau, Quebec. UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova was also present.