Iraqi historians say these items include some of history's first art and writings, including a 5,000-year-old solid gold harp, 4,000-year-old gold necklaces and bracelets, and various stone and ivory carvings created between 2,000 and 5,000 years ago.

CBP will do its part here at home for the Administration and its policy to rebuild Iraq. It is important that we work with the new leaders of Iraq to preserve their cultural heritage. - CBP Commissioner Robert C. Bonner

The United States is eager to stop the stolen pieces from arriving at our shores and ending up on the black market. Commissioner Robert C. Bonner ordered Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers to be on the lookout for looted Iraqi treasures. "CBP will do its part here at home for the Administration and its policy to rebuild Iraq. It is important that we work with the new leaders of Iraq to preserve their cultural heritage," said Commissioner Bonner.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, U.S. military officials, and Iraqi authorities compiled an inventory of the stolen items so that CBP inspectors could identify them at U.S. ports of entry. In addition, the U.S. military is securing Iraqi borders to prevent the treasures from leaving the country.

So far, CBP and London customs officers have apprehended two news reporters and five U.S. military personnel in possession of stolen items at Washington, Boston, and London airports. Their loot included several paintings, gold-plated firearms and knives, and Iraqi government bonds. Only one individual has been charged.

Assistant Commissioner Jayson Ahern, Office of Field Operations, reiterated our zero-tolerance policy for American service personnel or civilians who bring Iraqi souvenirs or war trophies back to the United States. "This is theft. We are there to liberate the country. This must cease," said Ahern.

Treasures found
The efforts of U.S. and Iraqi authorities are already paying off. ICE agents, U.S. military officials, and Iraqi authorities have recovered several artifacts that disappeared from the Baghdad museum. The recovered artifacts include a broken Assyrian statue from the 9th century B.C., and a chest filled with valuable manuscripts.

The Washington Post recently reported that a car pulled up in front of the Baghdad National Museum and three Iraqi men stepped out cradling an object wrapped in a blanket and handed it to museum officials. The officials thanked the men and asked no questions. They had returned one of the greatest treasures of Mesopotamian antiquity: a three-foot-high, 5,000-year-old ritual vase carved with intricate images that include men, a goddess, and a nature scene. This Warka vase is a priceless artifact that was stolen in April after the fall of Baghdad.

Customs, now part of CBP, has had a long history of seizing and returning priceless cultural treasures to their rightful owners. That tradition continues. More than $30 million worth of art and artifacts have been recovered and returned over the past several years. In 2001, Customs agents, now part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), returned cultural religious icons to a Russian Orthodox Church in New York City and rare drawings to Germany - including Albrecht Durer's "Woman's Bath," valued at $10 million and Rembrandt's "Woman Standing with Raised Hands," valued at $1 million. In 2000, Customs officials returned a stolen sculpture dating from 960 A.D. to the Chinese government.