Marius CIUTA
(Police Inspectorate of Alba County, Romania)
Without doubts, the last 18 years are represented for the Romanian State the period when was “registered” the most systematic and efficient process of spoiling ant trafficking cultural goods in the entire history of the country. The reality of loosing cultural heritage goods, some times irreversible, can be comparable only with the great catastrophes caused by the conflagrations, older or newer, in some well known other countries (Egypt, Croatia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Indonesia etc.).
The real dimensions of the phenomenon including illegal stole and traffic with this kind of pieces is very difficult to be estimated (or make quantification). These are due to the existence of hidden networks of traffic and the higher needs of the private collection owners. Another reason is the protection policy of the auction houses from Europe and USA regarding the source of provenience.
There are a lot of facts which caused this situation. Most of them are regarding to the ignorance of all political governments from this period, the 10 years of legislation laws missing, the lack of communication between the structures officially involved in the protection of the cultural heritage, the low interest for developing a strict evidence of the cultural heritage, mobile and immobile. Also the lack of the logistics involved in the making scientific evidences, the continue sprouting of organized criminal networks with strong abilities to penetrate the public life (mass-media) and political structures, with ramifications in all countries who imported cultural heritage. All of these coupled with the vicinity with countries where is developing same phenomenon’s (Bulgaria), were few factors which supported this national disaster.
The present paper deals, starting with the presentation of some examples of certain Romanian origin representative archaeological pieces, presented for sale on the web pages, to realize an analyze of the smuggling phenomenon (cause, persons involved, destroyed archaeological sites, effects etc.). We tried to realize a puzzle image of the total phenomenon. At last, we tried to advance some hypothetical proposals about action ways to stop this activities with the network implications (institutions and persons involved, strategies, similar models adopted in other countries, modus operandi etc.)