PLEASE CONSIDER THAT THE IRAQI POLICE HAVE THE TIME AND RESOURCES TO DO THIS

Iraqi authorities say they have broken up a gang that has been selling ancient artifacts illegally dug up from the area of the ancient city of Babylon.

Four men were arrested in a sting operation early last week, and hundreds of items ranging from statuettes to bowls to tablets with cuneiform writing were recovered, Gen. Muhssin Ali, a senior official in Iraq's Interior Ministry, said Sunday.

Archaeologists and art lovers worldwide have been concerned about the disappearance of Iraq's antiquities into the black market during the U.S. occupation...

Iraqi police were tipped off to the gang, which was dealing in freshly unearthed items. The police then posed as buyers and tape-recorded the transaction with hidden microphones.