Mummy smuggler busted with remains hidden inside speakers
Egypt foiled a weird attempt to sneak mummy parts out of the country.
This speaker was used in an attempt to smuggle mummified remains out of Egypt.
No knives. No flammable liquids. No mummies.
Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities on Sunday announced the discovery of mummy remains tucked inside speakers in a Belgium-bound passenger's luggage at the Cairo International Airport.
Egypt recovered these mummified remains before they could leave the country.
An X-ray machine at the airport uncovered the preserved body parts, which came from two different mummies. The remains consisted of two feet, two legs, the lower part of a hand, one arm and part of a torso.
The ministry posted photos from the bust showing a pair of large speakers torn apart.
Egyptian authorities confiscated the mummies and took them to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo for restoration.
The Egyptian Law on the Protection of Antiquities enacted in 1983 lays out some stiff penalties for smuggling, including a prison term with hard labor and a large fine.
Egypt has long dealt with the illegal removal of ancient remains and artifacts from the country. Earlier this month, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York announced it had returned a gilded coffin to the Egyptian government after learning it was looted in 2011. The coffin had been the centerpiece of an active exhibit.
