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By:
Shaban Maxharraj
- February 13, 2025 23:27 AM
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"By order of the state prosecutor, the defendant DH was detained for 48 hours, as he is suspected of having carried out unauthorized research activities in archaeological sites with detection equipment," reads the announcement from the Kosovo Prosecution Office. KOHA has shed light on the background of the Police intervention, initiated by the Inspectorate of Cultural Heritage. The detainee identified himself by confessing about his "hobby", as he is a seller of metal detectors. "I found many valuable items," he says in a video on online platforms
A 48-hour detention is the first measure taken by law enforcement institutions for the suspect DH from Gjilan, who was found with over 200 archaeological finds from unauthorized archaeological excavations. As a suspect for "embezzlement of cultural monuments", the suspect will face justice.
Cases of illegal excavations in Kosovo are not rare, but finding such a number of artifacts is not frequent. By order of the Basic Prosecution Office of Gjilan, the Kosovo Police in cooperation with the Archaeological Institute of Kosovo on Thursday also carried out inspections. KOHA has revealed the background of the Police intervention, initiated by the Inspectorate of Cultural Heritage.
The suspect DH has long owned a metal detector. He has developed his activity in the areas surrounding Gjilan, according to the suspect himself, in the village of Velekincë. In this village, the state has identified and taken under its protection the archaeological site of late antiquity, “Koka e Ilisë”. DH has self-identified through an online platform where he reveals his story as a metal digger. He has told how he once had a detector and as a hobby he would detect metals and then do excavations and take them. He owns a detector shop in Gjilan and sells these devices. When asked about his valuable finds, he has indicated that he owns many of them.
"I have found many valuable items. But, most of all, I have found myself in this sport," he says in a video posted on online platforms two weeks ago. There he shows that the prices of detectors range from 275 euros to 10 thousand euros. He says that he does not own professional detectors, but rather those used for hobbies.
"I have a hobby and it's a good sport because it gets you walking," he says in this video. He then appears in the hills of the village of Velekincë. He says he is in "Lekë Dukagjini's Hill." There he detects and digs in areas that, according to him, potentially contain metals.
"Here I have found many old items that date back 1.700 years. This also proves how old Velekinca is," he says. In that video DH also demonstrates the finds made over the years. He keeps the same in the shop, in a display case where he has them all listed and exhibited. He presents them as old and valuable artifacts. There are iron tools and many coins listed. They are also mentioned in the Kosovo Police Report.
"The Basic Prosecution Office in Gjilan, in cooperation with the Archaeological Institute of Kosovo, have identified unauthorized activities at archaeological sites and on February 10, 2025, the Environmental Crimes Investigation Unit within the Directorate of Organized Crime and Serious Crimes in Pristina was authorized to undertake investigative actions in the criminal case against the defendant DH, due to suspicion of the criminal offense 'Unauthorized works and appropriation of cultural monuments' under Article 355 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo," the Kosovo Prosecution Office said in a statement. It also states that on Thursday, at the request of the Basic Prosecution Office in Gjilan, the Police executed a search warrant at his premises in Gjilan, where over 200 archaeological artifacts were found and seized.
"Of which 80 coins are from the period of Roman, Byzantine and medieval rule. By order of the state prosecutor, the defendant DH was detained for 48 hours, as he is suspected of having carried out unauthorized research activities in archaeological sites with detection equipment," the announcement reads. It is clarified that the same is suspected of a criminal offense because with his actions he has carried out excavations or archaeological research without the authorization of the competent body.
According to the Law on Cultural Heritage, even when citizens of Kosovo accidentally come across archaeological finds during earthworks or excavations to erect a building, they must notify the Archaeological Institute of Kosovo no later than the following day.
“All archaeological finds and those excavated from archaeological excavations are the property of Kosovo,” reads Article 7 of this Law. The same law stipulates that no activity that causes damage to any archaeological reserve is permitted without a written permit from the competent institution. The Law also stipulates that institutions or natural or legal persons may only be allowed to conduct archaeological excavations with a license and for this they must obtain a permit from the Archaeological Institute of Kosovo.
The acting director of the Archaeological Institute of Kosovo, Milot Berisha, said that the case is still under investigation.
"As the Archaeological Institute of Kosovo, we will prepare a summary report and, respecting the sensitivity of the issue, we will publish a statement," Berisha said, without sharing details of the case and the findings.
Since the last war, Kosovo institutions have identified many areas where signs of illegal archaeological excavations appear. They usually use detectors. The sale of detectors is not prohibited in Kosovo, while unauthorized archaeological excavations, along with the appropriation of finds, constitute a criminal offense.
