Looting in the desert still out of control

Too many sites, too few patrols. The devastation of ancient sites continues -- in Arizona:

Experts fear looting of ancient Native American burial sites in Arizona is on the rise, though Land Department investigator Brad Geeck said there are no hard statistics to track those trends. "Every year, the calls seem to increase."

The rewards, experts say, outweigh the risks. A single intact pot can bring as much as $75,000. Desecrating human remains to get to the pot is a misdemeanor, with a fine of less than $500.

Federal and state antiquities laws can bring looters serious prison time - on a second offense. But there is no law against excavating pots on private land unless it is associated with a burial site.

Despite numerous recommendations to the Legislature during the past decade, there still are only two investigators to police nearly 9 million acres of state trust land in Arizona.

This isn't just shovel work, either -- the looters are using bulldozers and other heavy equipment. Full article here.

Posted by David on July 7, 2006 1:37 PM