Dear All It is interesting that Darren should raise this topic now. Yesterday afternoon (Thursday 11th), I was contacted by the BBC and asked to comment on this very item and also to say something about the illegal trade in meteorites.
I also took the opportunity to inform them of the situation in Sudan regarding the arrest of "illegal" collectors. It goes without saying that, as a National Museum, we have to be absolutely certain that any purchase we make is checked out and that the vendor has legal title to the object he/she is selling - this goes for any potential accession whether it is a priceless antique or artefact, a piece of technology such as an old radio set or railway engine, or a mineral/meteorite. It would be a disaster if we were knowingly to buy anything that is in any way "dodgy". The result of this is that we are no longer approached by sellers or dealers with this type of material. This means that I am not that knowledgeable on the illegal trade in meteorites. I know it goes on - I am not blind - but I have no first hand experience. What this matter does show is that the media are now picking up on this trade and raising awareness of it to a new level. Much like they did with the illegal collecting and trading in fossils and minerals. It will never stop it, but it does make everyone in the business, or it should, a little more wary. Have a great weekend Peter Davidson Curator of Minerals National Museums Collection Centre National Museums Scotland 242 West Granton Road Edinburgh EH5 1JA Phone: +44 131 247 4283 [email protected] www.nms.ac.uk -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Darren Garrison Sent: 11 February 2010 19:45 To: [email protected] Subject: [meteorite-list] Russian meteorites-- don't take them for granite! http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gHt4NoeWwYXIjlcyAaDow vFEK-FA Russia nabs meteorite smuggling ring (AFP) - 7 hours ago MOSCOW - Amid a huge bounty of contraband goods seized recently at a Russian airport, one far-out find floored customs officials: chunks of meteorite. "On the customs declaration, the smugglers identified it as granite for construction and decoration of office space," Larisa Ledovskikh, a spokeswoman for customs at Moscow's Domodedovo airport, told AFP on Thursday. "But our officials could see it was clearly not granite!" The two smugglers -- who also tried to ship out silver antiques, fossils, semi-precious stones, microscopes and old books in the suspect cargo -- were initially charged with making a false declaration on their customs form. Only after a three-month investigation did officials discover that the mystery lumps were fragments from outer space and the men part of a larger crime ring including experts and scientists, Ledovskikh said. "They were part of an organized criminal gang. They had worked out a plan in advance to smuggle out of Russian territory and to the Czech Republic... two meteorite chunks, each weighing 100 grams," she said. The two men were arrested on Sunday and charged with contraband, a sentence that carries a maximum of 12 years in prison in Russia. ______________________________________________ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list [email protected] http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list Meet Your Maker, the creative minds behind Scotland's crafts. National Museum of Scotland, 29 January - 14 March. www.nms.ac.uk/maker National Museums Scotland, Scottish Charity, No. SC 011130 This communication is intended for the addressee(s) only. If you are not the addressee please inform the sender and delete the email from your system. The statements and opinions expressed in this message are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of National Museums Scotland. This message is subject to the Data Protection Act 1998 and Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. No liability is accepted for any harm that may be caused to your systems or data by this message. ______________________________________________ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list [email protected] http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
