The Egyptian court sentences a smuggler to three years in prison for trying to steal a sarcophagus hidden in a sofa.
On Wednesday, the Cairo Criminal Court also sentenced the director of an import-export company to a fine of approximately $18,000 for trading in antiquities.
In 2018, the smuggler and his accomplices hid an ancient sarcophagus lid in a sofa before sending it by plane to a country in the Persian Gulf region.
The piece, which originated from excavations in the Luxor area, was discovered by airport authorities in the destination country and was subsequently returned to Egypt.
Experts have confirmed its authenticity and dated it to the late period of ancient Egypt.
Initially sentenced to life in prison in absentia, the man received this new sentence at the end of his retrial.
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