Five arrested over illegal antiquity digs

Police in the southern Peloponnese have arrested five people suspected of involvement in a criminal gang that carried out illegal excavations at archaeological sites.

The arrests of the men, who range in age from 37 to 56, followed a months-long investigation.

Police said the men used metal detectors and other specialized surveying equipment in their illicit digs.

One of the suspects also had a workshop in his home where he repaired, built and upgraded excavation devices that he sold on the internet.

Searches of the men's homes yielded two air guns, 50 cartridges, two knives, 21 dowsing rods, an oscilloscope, 16 metal detectors, a radioactive elements detector, 10 ancient coins, two gold detectors, a soil filter, a bucket with a magnet and a rope, books, notebooks, diaries, six mobile phones and €680 in cash.