File Photo: The South Sinai Primary Court. Photo courtesy of Rafah and El Sheikh Zayed City Facebook page.
Court documents showed that the defendants attempted to conceal the artefacts inside a truck loaded with "foul majroosh" (crushed beans), using a hidden compartment inside the vehicle cabin to evade inspection.
The seized items were estimated to be worth around EGP 3.578 billion.
The case dates back to 1 August 2025, when security services at Nuweiba Port received intelligence about a truck driven by a Jordanian national attempting to smuggle antiquities out of Egypt.
A joint security and customs operation intercepted the vehicle inside the customs area. The truck, bearing Jordanian plates and carrying a shipment of beans, was found to contain secret compartments inside the driver’s cabin.
Authorities discovered 2,198 artefacts of varying sizes and forms, all falling under Egypt’s Antiquities Protection Law No. 117 of 1983 and its amendments.
A specialized committee recommended confiscating the seized artefacts in favour of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, with instructions to transfer them to the nearest museum due to their historical value.
The total value of the seized items was estimated at EGP 3.578 billion, while customs duties were calculated at EGP 1.316 billion and additional compensation at around EGP 7.157 billion.
Investigations revealed the involvement of 10 defendants in total, six of whom were arrested while four remain at large. The group is accused of forming an organized network engaged in illegal excavation and trafficking of antiquities in Qena Governorate.
The Public Prosecution ordered the detention of the arrested defendants, the arrest of fugitives, and the seizure of the truck and all related evidence.
Short link: