Internet / Home - INTERPOL. Works of art / Works of art / Crime areas. The illicit traffic in cultural heritage is a transnational crime that affects the countries of origin, transit and final destination.
The illicit trade in works of art is sustained by the demand from the arts market, the opening of borders, the improvement in transport systems and the political instability of certain countries. Over the past decade we have seen an increasing trend of illicit trafficking in cultural objects from counties in the Middle East affected by armed conflict. The black market in works of art is becoming as lucrative as those for drugs, weapons and counterfeit goods. In February 2015, the United Nations Security Council approved Resolution 2199, calling for countries to take appropriate steps to prevent the trade in stolen Iraqi and Syrian cultural property. OMD - Organisation Mondiale des Douanes. UNESCO Centre du patrimoine mondial.