THREAD: Transnational criminal networks never move just one material – and antiquities trafficking networks are no different.

We're going to highlight some of the other items we see trafficked in @Facebook groups we monitor – from guns to animals to COVID10 PPE supplies & more

Antiquities trafficking in the Mid East thrives during conflict, and armed groups are often the culprits of looting In January 2019, a user in a Syria-based Facebook antiquities trafficking group posted a newly-acquired machine gun. The posted noted the user was “feeling excited”

#Facebook doesn’t yet have a ban on illicit antiquities – but it does have a ban on the sale of wildlife and their parts. But little to no enforcement of its own policies, traffickers offer animals in antiquities trafficking groups… and the posts remain active for years

Live animals have been offered in antiquities trafficking groups in violation of @Facebook’s Regulated Goods policy.

In May 2015, a user in a $FB antiquities trafficking group offered a Hyena for sale. Now, nearly 5 years later and the post remains active on the platform...

Endangered species parts also make appearances in antiquities trafficking Facebook groups

These posts from December 2019 & March 2020 offer carved ivory for sale. Ivory appears fairly frequently in these groups, one example of the overlap between wildlife & antiquities networks

Traffickers always look for opportunities to sell high-demand items on the black market for increased prices

In recent weeks as the COVID19 pandemic spreads we have seen PPE like masks and gloves offered in Facebook antiquities trafficking groups as well as anti-bacterial spray

It's not just other items we see offered in #Facebook’s trafficking groups –*services* for looting artifacts are offered too

Earlier this month a user in Khartoum, Sudan offered bulldozer services in a Facebook group for looting and trafficking antiquities with over 112k members

In some cases, antiquities looters encounter groundwater when illegally excavating – but on #Facebook, there’s a service for that

In Feb, a user in Cairo with diving experience offered his services to help loot submerged sites–complete w/ photo examples of his past looting dives