Update175 'tomb raiders' caught pillaging Stone Age archaeological site in China
Ancient relics worth 500 million yuan recovered by the police in what state media says was biggest case of its kind in the country in modern history
Police in northeastern China have caught 175 looters who pillaged a Neolithic archaeological site.
The Ministry of Public Security announced that the operation recovered 1,168 cultural relics worth more than 500 million yuan (HK$630 million) taken from the stone age remains.
The looters are suspected of illegally excavating in Niuheliang, a site in northeastern Liaoning province that includes ancient tombs.
The state-run news agency Xinhua described it as the biggest case of its kind since the formation of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
The authorities found artifacts such as a coiled jade dragon, which is one of the earliest known representations of the mythological creature.
The ministry said the looters were split into 10 gangs that handled everything from site excavation to sales.