22 Nov, 2010 @ 09:00
1 min read

Smuggling bust after Christie’s auction

AN international smuggling ring has been smashed after a plundered Arab statue was auctioned at Christie’s of London.

Police swooped to arrest four people after the ornate column base – which was stolen from Medina Azahara, near Cordoba – was sold for 150,000 euros.

The ring was also linked to a number of other thefts from around the region.

The treasures recovered dated from the first to fifth centuries and included Roman mosaics, Neolithic axes and Arabic coins.

An Interpol-coordinated swoop saw the arrest of a Belgian antique expert, in Marbella, who authenticated the stolen artifacts before passing them abroad.

Three other dealers were arrested in Aguilar de la Frontera and Ronda.

Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)

Jon Clarke is a Londoner who worked at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday as an investigative journalist before moving to Spain in 2003 where he helped set up the Olive Press.

After studying Geography at Manchester University he fell in love with Spain during a two-year stint teaching English in Madrid.

On returning to London, he studied journalism and landed his first job at the weekly Informer newspaper in Teddington, covering hundreds of stories in areas including Hounslow, Richmond and Harrow.

This led on to work at the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Standard and even the Sun, before he landed his first full time job at the Daily Mail.

After a year on the Newsdesk he worked as a Showbiz correspondent covering mostly music, including the rise of the Spice Girls, the rivalry between Oasis and Blur and interviewed many famous musicians such as Joe Strummer and Ray Manzarak, as well as Peter Gabriel and Bjorn from Abba on his own private island.

After a year as the News Editor at the UK’s largest-selling magazine Now, he returned to work as an investigative journalist in Features at the Mail on Sunday.

As well as tracking down Jimi Hendrix’ sole living heir in Sweden, while there he also helped lead the initial investigation into Prince Andrew’s seedy links to Jeffrey Epstein during three trips to America.

He had dozens of exclusive stories, while his travel writing took him to Jamaica, Brazil and Belarus.

He is the author of three books; Costa Killer, Dining Secrets of Andalucia and My Search for Madeleine.

Contact jon@theolivepress.es

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