The statue from the Han dynasty measures about 47 centimetres (18.5 inches) and is thought to be of a servant, the federal department of culture said in a statement.
It was recovered by customs officers at Basel Mulhouse airport in a package originating from Britain and bound for an address in the canton of Vaud, near Geneva.
"In Switzerland, cultural items must be declared," said the ministry, adding that because the parcel was not declared as such, it was confiscated.
SMUGGLING
Swiss customs seize Chinese statue from UK
A terracotta statue dating back to about 200 BC has been returned to the Chinese authorities after being intercepted by customs in Switzerland, the Swiss government said on Friday.
Published: 12 December 2014 17:40 CET
Photo: The Local
POLICE
Spanish police rescued from sea by smugglers they were chasing
Three Spanish police officers who were thrown into the sea when their boat crashed early Friday during a high-speed chase were pulled to safety by the drug-smugglers they were chasing, police said.
Published: 5 October 2019 10:07 CEST
Handout / Spanish Guardia Civil / AFP
The unexpected rescue happened after a police vessel began pursuing a speedboat “with four people on board that was suspected of transporting drugs” in waters off the southern coast of Spain, a police statement said.
READ: Brazen drug trafficking alarms southern Spain
During the chase, the two vessels collided, causing three police officers to fall into the sea as their boat “span out of control”.
Using a megaphone, a police helicopter that was hovering overhead called on those on board the speedboat to help and they pulled the three agents to safety unharmed.
The gesture did not spare them, however, when police found three tonnes of hashish in the water nearby.
“They were arrested for drug trafficking,” a police statement said, indicating that more than 80 bundles of hash had been recovered from the sea.
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