The U.S. government Monday returned some priceless pre-historic fossils to China, which seized at various ports of entry in the States. This is a result of two countries' cooperation on fight against transnational crimes.
Among the returned items are the jaw bones of a saber toothed cat and Psittacosaurus lujiatunesis and eggs of dinosaurs.
All items had been shipped, respectively, through Chicago, Illinois, and Norfolk, Va., without proper documentation.
The fossils confiscated in Chicago were determined by US experts to be animal remains dating back as far as 100 million years, and the 24 fossilized dinosaur eggs were about 60 million years old.
Xie Feng, Chinese Deputy Chief of Mission, said, "The repatriation of historic and cultural artifacts back to China has opened up a new era for bi-lateral law enforcement cooperation."
The case involves the seizure of parcels at Chicago's O'Hare airport and Dulles Airport outside Washington, D.C. by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers in 2006 and 2007.
John Morton, Assist. Secretary for ICE Department of Homeland Security, said, "Our investigation into how these fossils entered into the United States is ongoing.I'll just say stay tuned.We're continuing to pursue all available leads so that the people responsible for the crime that is represented on the table befor you are ultimately held accountable and go to jail."
Transnational crime is a main focus at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and that cooperation between the U.S. and China has improved, in part, due to both countries work on the historical and cultural artifacts smuggling cases.
(CCTV September 16, 2009)
