Cave looters sentenced

Gang Sentenced for Plundering Rare Judean Archaeological Site (The Jewish Voice).

Prison terms, 12,000 NIS fine for Arabs who caused irreparable damage to one of the most important sites ever found in Judean Desert.

Be'er Sheva Magistrate's court sentenced six Arab antiquities thieves to 18 months in jail each, along with a fine totaling 12,000 NIS, for plundering one of the most important archaeological sites ever discovered in the Judean Desert.

The robbers, all from the village of Seir near Hevron, were caught in the act last November by inspectors from the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Unit for the Prevention of Antiquities Robbery while plundering an ancient cave in the cliffs above Nahal Ze’elim in the Judean Desert.

Israel Antiquities Authority inspectors believe the accused were looking for ancient scrolls hidden during the Bar Kokhba period.

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The story of their arrest was noted here in December of 2014.