Iranian officials said a large haul of ancient artifacts estimated to be about 2,800 years old has been seized in the northern town of Fereydunkenar in Mazandaran Province and four main suspects have been detained.

Local prosecutor Gholamhossein Asghari said police acted “immediately” after receiving a report about suspected illegal activity involving historical objects. He said a joint team with cultural heritage experts and the economic security police uncovered “a considerable number of prohibited and historical items that belong to the cultural heritage of the country.” Initial assessments put their value at around one thousand billion tomans (8.4 million USD). Three vehicles tied to the case were also impounded, he said.

Iran continues to face extensive trafficking of antiquities despite laws that classify such items as national heritage and ban their sale or export without official approval. Smuggling networks operate across the region, taking advantage of high demand. In one case reported by the outlet SedayeMiras, Achaemenid era gold artifacts smuggled out of Iran were sold on the black market in Dubai for about 1.1 million dollars, far below their estimated value of three million dollars. The report said the pieces included a gold pendant depicting Darius I, gold armlets, Achaemenid era jewelry and a 2,500 year old gold diadem.

Heritage experts say inadequate maintenance, limited protection and environmental damage have left many historical sites vulnerable. Asghari said cultural heritage is central to Iran’s identity and that any harm to it amounts to an attack on the nation’s history.