NEW YORK (AP) – Authorities say antiquities dealers and collectors from three U.S. states and the United Arab Emirates have been charged with a scheme to smuggle cultural property into the United States.

The announcement was made Thursday by Homeland Security and the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn.

They say agents have dismantled an organization that conspired to smuggle Middle Eastern and Asian antiquities into the United States. They’re also accused of conspiring to launder money.

Authorities say the antiquities they’ve seized include a Greco-Roman style Egyptian sarcophagus, dated around 664 to 552 B.C.

They say other Middle Eastern and Asian artifacts have been recovered, along with about 1,000 antique coins.

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AP-WF-07-14-11 1454GMT