Federal police officers served a warrant at the apartment of the widow of a diplomat who allegedly purchased the work
The Federal Police reported on Monday (May 25, 2026) that they seized an archaeological piece of pre-Columbian culture from Hispanic America that was improperly sold in a virtual auction in 2020.
The action was carried out last Friday (May 22), in Rio, during the Pre-Colombian operation. Federal police carried out a search and seizure warrant in an apartment where the widow of a dead diplomat lives. According to the PF, he had purchased the piece at the auction being investigated.
The investigation began after criminal news presented by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute. The agency informed the PF that it had identified archaeological pieces from pre-Columbian cultures in Hispanic America in the catalog of a company specialized in virtual auctions based in Rio.
The PF did not provide the name of the diplomat, the widow or the company responsible for the auction. It also did not detail the type of item seized, its estimated value or the object’s country of origin.
Pre-Columbian archaeological goods are pieces produced by people in the Americas before European colonization. The expression covers objects linked to civilizations and cultures prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus on the continent in 1492.
The case involves national and international rules on the circulation of cultural goods. Brazil adheres to the 1970 UNESCO Convention, in which countries must adopt measures against the irregular circulation of this type of heritage and cooperate in the recovery of items illegally removed from their places of origin.
The operation was conducted by the PF Superintendence in Rio. The corporation did not inform whether any investigated individuals were formally indicted nor what crimes were being investigated in the case.
