HONOLULU, HAWAII—The Honolulu Museum of Art has handed seven artifacts thought to have been stolen from India over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. “On one hand I hope they find a great home someplace. On the other hand, we’ve had them on view here almost 25 years. Lots of people loved them. The bottom line is they don’t belong here,” museum director Stephan Jost told KITV.com. The seven artifacts are now part of a case against a New York art dealer accused of being part of an international antiquities smuggling operation. “It’s good to know we’re recovering this material and we’ll be able to send it back because a lot of this material left India, I think, before the government knew it was there,” said Homeland Security Special Agent Brenton Easter. He added that the museum was “incredibly helpful” with the case. “The more light you shine on systems, the more you ruin their market and I’m more than happy to ruin their market,” museum director Jost said. To read in-depth about an extraordinary Iron Age site, see "India's Village of the Dead."
