Behind the scenes with French authorities tracking down stolen cultural goods

The black market for stolen cultural goods is the third most profitable in the world, behind only drugs and arms trafficking – the UN's cultural agency UNESCO estimates it's worth some $9 billion each year. In France, around 1,000 thefts of cultural goods are reported annually. From counterfeit art to stolen artefacts, investigators from France's Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Goods handle complex cases of theft, concealment, looting and money laundering involving international criminal networks. FRANCE 24's Jade Lévin went to find out more about their work.


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