On Monday, US Customs officials handed over to China 100-million-year-old fossils which were smuggled into the US. The fossils include a partial dinosaur skull, several dinosaur eggs and a sabre-toothed cat’s bones.
According to the Homeland Security Department, the relics, which were undocumented and transported in two loads, were seized by custom agents stationed in Richmond and Chicago.
The department announced that they found the fossils during one of their routine inspections on incoming cargoes. Some cargoes were suspected to have been smuggled.
Assistant Secretary John Morton of Homeland Security said, "The attempt to remove them from China ran up against a network of national and international customs laws that are in place to protect against the theft of cultural property. We are pleased to return them to their rightful owners, the people of China.”
The Field Museum experts in Chicago noted that the confiscated dinosaur fossils date back to 100 million years. The fossils belong to a Psittacosaurus lujiatunesis, a two-legged dinosaur with a height of two meters and a skull with distinctive features, such as high nostrils and a parrot-like beak.
The smuggled fossils were returned to the Chinese Embassy in Washington. Deputy Chief of Mission Xie Feng expressed his gratitude towards the US government. He said, "In recent years, China and the US have developed close cooperation in law enforcement and made steady progress and prominent achievements, particularly in the fields as counterterrorism, drug enforcement as well as combating other transnational crimes.”
Chinese officials are on their way to the US to escort the prehistoric relics back to China.
According to the Homeland Security Department, the relics, which were undocumented and transported in two loads, were seized by custom agents stationed in Richmond and Chicago.
The department announced that they found the fossils during one of their routine inspections on incoming cargoes. Some cargoes were suspected to have been smuggled.
Assistant Secretary John Morton of Homeland Security said, "The attempt to remove them from China ran up against a network of national and international customs laws that are in place to protect against the theft of cultural property. We are pleased to return them to their rightful owners, the people of China.”
The Field Museum experts in Chicago noted that the confiscated dinosaur fossils date back to 100 million years. The fossils belong to a Psittacosaurus lujiatunesis, a two-legged dinosaur with a height of two meters and a skull with distinctive features, such as high nostrils and a parrot-like beak.
The smuggled fossils were returned to the Chinese Embassy in Washington. Deputy Chief of Mission Xie Feng expressed his gratitude towards the US government. He said, "In recent years, China and the US have developed close cooperation in law enforcement and made steady progress and prominent achievements, particularly in the fields as counterterrorism, drug enforcement as well as combating other transnational crimes.”
Chinese officials are on their way to the US to escort the prehistoric relics back to China.
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