Artifact Seized At Oakland Airport Returned To Mexico
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)- A pre-Columbian figurine seized from a passenger at Oakland International Airport earlier this year has been returned to Mexican authorities.
The 2.5-inch figurine was confiscated on Feb. 10 from the luggage of a man arriving in Oakland from Mexico.
KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:
The passenger claimed he found the artifact while hiking in Ameca, a city in the state of Jalisco in western Mexico, but officials say there were some "inconsistencies" in his story, and he was without documentation.
"After several months of research and analysis, university professors and experts in this area confirmed that this was a pre-Columbian artifact, most likely from the Jalisco area of Mexico," said Richard Vigna, the director of field operations for Custom and Border Protection's San Francisco office
The man was not detained but agreed to sign a form relinquishing property rights to the item. Vigna said that there is no way to prove that the man knew what he was in possession of.
The item is at least 500 years old.
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