Intercepted last year, returned one month ago
In June and September 2022, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at New York (JFK) International Mail Facility seized ten stolen artifacts being smuggled from Russia. Identified as Ukrainian cultural property, the artifacts were returned to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a repatriation ceremony in Washington, DC on 21 September.
Senior official performing the duties of the commissioner Troy A. Miller: "CBP works diligently to prevent illicit goods, including priceless artifacts that have been stolen or looted, from crossing our borders. We will continue to work with our colleagues to ensure each antiquity we find makes it back to its rightful home." Since the beginning of FY/2023 to October, CBP at JFK has recorded 17 seizures of cultural property with a domestic value exceeding USD 745,000. (ah)