Editorial: Prosecution of relic thieves is warranted

Friday, Dec. 12, 2003 | 9:04 a.m.

Operation Indian Rocks, a two-year federal probe that has led to the prosecution of illegal relic hunters, has resulted in 10,000 artifacts being recovered that had been taken from historic sites on federal lands in the West, including in Nevada. Thirteen sites were looted or damaged, including some located in the Death Valley National Recreation Area. One man prosecuted in the case, Frank Embrey, already has agreed to a plea agreement. Embrey was sentenced to 18 months in prison and must make restitution of $86,196. Three more defendants in the case are scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in Las Vegas within the next several weeks.

Steve Daron, park archaeologist at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, told Sun reporter Jace Radke that the archaeological value of the stolen artifacts was estimated at $416,000. But the actual loss, Daron acknowledged, can't be calculated because such pilfering deprives future generations of seeing and studying this history.

We understand that federal prosecutors have their plates full, in light of the government's emphasis on terrorism investigations and all the other serious crimes that have to be pursued, but ensuring that our land's past is preserved and not stolen is important, too. Hopefully this prosecution will send a strong message to archaeological thieves, whether they're displaying the artifacts in their homes or selling them for profit, that looting won't be tolerated.