共和国文物第一案告破 价值5亿墓中文物被追回

Biggest tomb raid uncovered

最大坟墓盗窃案宣布告破

More than 170 tomb raiders have been arrested and 1,168 cultural relics recovered in an operation, the Ministry of Public Security Tuesday said.

公安部26日透露，警方开展集中行动，一举抓获170余名盗墓者，追回文物1168件。

Described as the biggest swoop of its kind since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, the ministry valued the looted artifacts at more than RMB500m.

这是我国1949年建国以来最大的突击行动，公安部估计追回的被盗文物价值逾5亿元。

The recovered artifacts include a coiled jade dragon, one of the earliest known representations of the Chinese totem.

追回的文物包括一枚玉猪龙——中国已知的最早图腾代表之一。

Police said the 175 tomb raiders, who belong to 10 gangs, had a clear division of labor covering the whole process from excavation to sales.

警方表示，175名盗墓者隶属于10个团伙，整个过程从挖掘到销赃分工明确。

Four archeologists are suspected of participating in the tomb raiding and selling the stolen artifacts.

四名考古学家涉嫌参与盗墓以及出售被盗文物。