Artifacts bust in Cayo is 3rd in 3 weeks

It’s the 3rd major bust for Maya artifacts in as many weeks and it’s keeping the police and Archaeology Department busy. The latest raid involved Abraham Wolfe of Spanish Lookout, who was found in possession of a hoard of 150 ancient pieces including clay pots, flints and jade beads. Wolfe was charged in San Ignacio Magistrate’s Court with possession of antiquities and released on bail. His case will be heard next month. The reason police searched Wolfe’s house is that he was thought to have purchased some of the items stolen from the Cahal Pech visitors centre earlier on the 12th of May. None of those pieces, however, were among his collection, but police have recovered 2 more artifacts from that heist, bringing the number to 11 out of a total of 19 stolen. The pieces were found in Placencia. The man who police believe knows the whereabouts of the rest, Jordy Espat, remains on the loose and is believed to have crossed into Guatemala. Meanwhile the San Pedro resident who was found with a whopping 520 unregistered Mayan artifacts, Cesario Rivero, was given a less than whopping sentence of only $1,000 by Magistrate’s Court in Belize City. Archaeologists expressed disappointment at the light punishment, which works out to less than $2 per ancient treasure.