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Customs officers in Menton, southern France, made an unexpected discovery: fossilized dinosaur and crocodile teeth originating from Morocco's rich geological deposits, as reported by France Bleu.
On January 27, customs agents conducted a routine inspection of a Spanish freight truck heading to Italy. Among the various packages, they found several bags containing fossilized teeth, a find that left the officers astonished. «Our teams are accustomed to intercepting drugs, not fossils millions of years old», remarked Samantha Verduron, communications director for Nice customs.
The officers uncovered nine teeth, which were subsequently handed over to Pierre-Elie Moullé, a paleontologist at the Regional Prehistory Museum in Menton. Upon examination, Moullé identified the fossils as hailing from Morocco. The collection included a tooth from Zarafasaura oceanis, a marine plesiosaur, three mosasaur teeth, and five attributed to Dyrosaurus phosphaticus, a prehistoric aquatic reptile.
«These fossils come from Morocco, where an illegal trade is organized around these rare pieces, often resold at a high price», the paleontologist explained. Morocco, with its extensive paleontological deposits, particularly in the Khouribga region and the Sahara Desert, is a prime target for traffickers.
The illegal trade in cultural goods is estimated to generate between three and six billion dollars annually, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Besides fossils, customs officers frequently intercept antique objects, ancient manuscripts, and statues.
An investigation is currently underway to identify the intended recipients of these fossils and to determine the appropriate legal actions in this case.
