Major artifact smuggling attempt foiled
Customs seize priceless Buddha statues going to US
By Kurulu Kariyakarawana
Daily Mirror
May 28, 2009
In a shocking yet daring attempt to smuggle out to the United States of America, a collection of priceless artefacts consisting of antique Buddha statues, by a foreigner was thwarted by the Customs, thus putting a full stop to a major international racket operating for a long time.
Customs Bio Diversity Protection Unit (BDPU) on a tip-off took an American national into custody last January from a leading courier service agency in Ja-Ela along with a collection of priceless artefacts.
The BDPU had received information from an officer of this courier service on January 22 about a mysterious foreigner who was trying to send a collection of antique items through a courier to USA.
The BDPU seized the consignment that contained 74 items and found a number of statues of the Buddha and other deities, sacred caskets of tooth relics, ola-leaves etc. which reportedly belonged to the 19th century Kandyan era.
The suspect identified as Arian Alexander Stone, an American was produced before the Negombo Magistrate on January 23 and remanded for 14 days.
The BDPU which took the artefacts into custody sent them to the Archaeology Department to examine and found that 48 out of the 74 items were antiques belonging to the bygone Kandyan era.
On questioning the suspect the BDPU found that the items were
delivered to him on January 19 by a Swedish national named Robert Ulvenkrantz. Two females in a three-wheeler had delivered the goods to Alexander who was reportedly staying at a leading hotel in Negombo.
Alexander had divulged to Customs that he was to send the goods to an American buyer named Steven Sinkleman who is running a large scale Buddhist artefacts business called “The Buddha Gallery” (
www.thebuddhagallery.com) in San Francisco.
According to Customs Mr. Sinkleman boasts of his business, being a leading collector who buys, sells and possesses a large variety of priceless Buddhist artefacts collected from the countries such as China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, Nepal, Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
The priceless artefacts collected from these countries will be purchased by the foresaid collector at cheap rates and will sell at unbelievably high prices, the Customs sources said.
Alexander was however released on a bail of Rs.50,000 by the Negombo Magistrate on March 3, and it was reported that the US Embassy had directly intervened in this case to facilitate him with legal aid.
In the meantime the BDPU had informed the Immigration and Emigration Department about Robert Ulvenkrantz in case he tried to leave the country. On May 1 the BDPU was informed by the emigration desk at Bandaranaike International Airport that Ulvenkrantz was about to leave the country.
The Customs having searched the Swedish national found two priceless antique Buddha statues in his personal baggage. He was immediately taken into custody on May 2 and produced before Negombo Magistrate who ordered the suspect to be remanded. He was summoned again on May 18 and was further remanded till June 1.
Mr. D A M R Sagara, Assistant Superintendent of Customs in charge of Bio Diversity Protection Unit is conducting further investigations under the instructions of Customs Superintendent and Chief Preventive Officer Samantha Gunasekara.