Eight coins from Afghanistan, including two U.S. silver quarters. Courtesy World Customs Organization.

In recent years, critics of the art trade, and more specifically the antiquities trade, have claimed there is a multi-billion dollar black market for illicit items which helps fund nefarious activities such as terrorism.

The Illicit Trade Report 2019, published by the World Customs Organization, shows that the true scale of cultural property smuggling is actually quite small, especially when compared to other forms of illegal trade such as drugs, counterfeit goods and weapons.

In his article published on Cultural Property News website, Ivan Macquisten notes that, "The 200-page Illicit Trade Report reveals that cultural property accounts for just 0.2 percent of all investigations and seizures reported by the Customs Enforcement Network."

For some perspective, Macquisten further states, "...of the 102,214 cases investigated in 2019, just 227 involved cultural heritage. This compares to 36,264 for drugs, over 28,000 for counterfeit goods including medical supplies and over 26,000 for alcohol and tobacco..."
This small share of cases is not sufficient to fund terrorism.

Read Macquisten's full article ➤

Download the WCO Illicit Trade Report for 2019 ➤