Two Dutch nationals bound for Amsterdam were intercepted at Lesvos Airport while attempting to smuggle fossil fragments from the island’s famous Petrified Forest.
The contraband was discovered during a routine baggage check by Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) inspectors. The passengers had failed to declare the items to customs and lacked the mandatory export permit required for cultural and natural heritage goods.
According to an official assessment by the Director of the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest, the confiscated pieces were confirmed to be fragments of fossilized trees. The expert report verified that they were taken from the protected area of Western Lesvos—specifically, the Petrified Forest, a designated natural monument. Furthermore, the “Western Peninsula-Petrified Forest” region is part of the European Union’s Natura 2000 network.
Acting under prosecutor orders, authorities arrested both passengers on the spot under flagrante delicto (in the act) procedures for smuggling cultural heritage artifacts.
In addition to seizing the fossils—which will be returned to the Natural History Museum—customs officials also confiscated a tablet, two mobile phones, and a camera found in the suspects’ possession.
Petrified Forest of Lesvos
The Petrified Forest of Lesvos is a breathtaking, UNESCO-protected natural monument formed roughly 20 million years ago during the late Oligocene to middle Miocene epochs. Intense volcanic activity in the region buried a lush, subtropical ecosystem under massive layers of volcanic ash and lava.
Today, the site is one of the largest petrified forests in the world, featuring hundreds of standing and fallen fossilized trunks—some measuring up to 22 meters in length—complete with intact root systems, branches, and leaves.
Related: New Petrified Forest Uncovered on Evia, Greece
