Iran says Argentine diplomat's attempt to "smuggle" antiques foiled

Iran's Customs officers foiled the plot of an Argentine diplomat who sought to smuggle tons of antique objects and ancient artifacts as he was leaving Iran, the semi-official Fars news agency reported Tuesday.

"The custom officers suspected the high volume of the cargo the diplomat intended to take out of the country and discovered the artifacts after an inspection of the boxes," an informed source told Fars.

The diplomat, whose named was not disclosed, was working for the Argentine Embassy in Tehran, and he attempted to smuggle a large volume of ancient objects illegally, the source added.

Packed in 250 cardboard boxes and weighted about 4,000 kg, the cargo included different kinds of antiques, ancient manuscripts and a number of historical objects like old guns, the report said.

Source: Xinhua