Colombia customs art haul

The paintings could be worth $7m

By Jeremy McDermott in Bogota

Customs agents in Colombia have confiscated a veritable treasure trove of artwork which a Colombian national was trying to smuggle out of the country.

The 12 paintings seized are an art dealer's dream.

Among them are works by Claude Monet, Salvador Dali and El Greco.

The paintings belong to a Colombian living in the United States. He tried to get them out of the country but to get round any customs problems, he put false seals on the paintings bearing the stamp of the Colombian Ministry of Culture, which would be needed for any legal export of artwork.

Not fooled

But one customs agent was not fooled and called the attorney-general's office to investigate.

The paintings are now in the national museum

The seals were proven to be false but it was ruled no crime had yet been committed so the matter was passed back to the customs official, who racked his brains and decided to check whether the paintings had been registered by the owner when he brought them into the country.

There was no paperwork or declaration, so the paintings were legally contraband and therefore liable to be confiscated.

Which the customs officer promptly did, handing them over to a grateful nation.

The paintings, worth an estimated $7m, have now been placed in the national museum in Bogota, whilst curators decide where and how to display them.