In 2015, Italian police intercepted more than 2,000 ancient artefacts during an operation in southern Italy against the mafia, stealing and trading antiquities. During the action, a villa was discovered, which was transformed into a private museum, with a number of about 550 monuments. On the occasion, three people were arrested.
The entire police operation was launched after part of the fresco from the House of Neptune in Pompeii was mysteriously lost. 142 officers in over 20 Italian cities were involved in the action. Among the intercepted items are vases, coins, fragments of ancient buildings.
