AC Executive Director Tess Davis Joins UNESCO Training on Fighting Illicit Trafficking in the Republic of Moldova
November 20, 2025
On November 18, Antiquities Coalition Executive Director Tess Davis joined cultural heritage officials, law enforcement officers, and international experts for a UNESCO-led training on Fighting Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property in the Republic of Moldova. Davis delivered a presentation titled “Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property: From Illegal Excavations to the Market,” offering a comprehensive overview of how looted cultural heritage moves from the ground to the global marketplace.
Cultural racketeering is not an abstract threat but a global criminal enterprise that fuels corruption, finances conflict, and strips communities of their history and heritage.
To illustrate the realities of cultural racketeering—from the looting pits to the auction stand—Davis examined the case of Douglas Latchford, once celebrated as an “adventurer scholar,” later revealed as one of the most prolific traffickers of Khmer antiquities in modern times.
Key Takeaways
- Cultural racketeering is intertwined with transnational organized crime. The illicit trade depends on the same networks that drive trafficking in drugs, weapons, and wildlife.
- Latchford’s network demonstrates the extreme vulnerability of archaeological sites during armed conflict. The opacity of the international art market provides dealers and collectors with the illusion of legitimate trade—shielding them from the violent origins of the artifacts they buy.
- Illegal excavations leave lasting scars. While the return of many Khmer treasures is deeply encouraging, this process took more than fifty years—and countless stolen artifacts may never be recovered.
Stopping illegal excavations at the source remains the most effective way to combat the illicit trade in cultural property. And the strongest way to stop looting is to reduce global demand for unprovenanced antiquities. To end cultural racketeering, we must understand and secure the market itself. That means working collaboratively with the private sector, international policymakers, and law enforcement to strengthen protections across the entire supply chain.
The Antiquities Coalition is proud to support UNESCO and the Republic of Moldova in this critical effort to safeguard cultural heritage and disrupt the criminal networks that threaten it.