Stolen artwork believed to be Picasso recovered in Iraq drug raid: report

A painting believed to be a stolen Picasso was recovered in the Iraqi province of Diyala, reported The National.

Recovered during a drug raid, the painting is yet to be authenticated. The artwork is estimated to be worth millions of dollars according to Iraqi authorities.

The artwork was found in the possession of three accused persons, who were arrested for their involvement in the trade and transport of narcotic drugs.

Iraq's Ministry of Interior announced that the painting's discovery was part of security operations that have been ongoing since July.

“The work is ongoing and intensive to curb the trade, promotion and use of drugs," Colonel Bilal Sobhi told the Iraqi News Agency, The National report added.

The condition of the alleged Picasso is unclear, along with any further details on the size or subject matter of the painting, making it difficult to ascertain the date or name the work.

This is not the first time a suspected Picasso has been found in Iraq.

In August 2009, Iraqi police recovered a rare painting by the Spanish master in the town of Hillah, central Iraq. It was believed to be stolen during the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

The painting, titled Naked Woman, was marked with the word 'Louvre' and included stamps from the Parisian museum.

It is also unclear whether the recent, unauthenticated Picasso is the only artwork or cultural artefact that may have been held as collateral by the suspects.

"The drug trade is linked to many crimes,” Sobhi said. “Including murder, theft, kidnapping, rape, gang formation, corruption and family disintegration, until it reaches the antiquities trade.”

The use of famous artworks, or pieces by renowned artists to be used as collateral has become a profitable, and increasingly popular means for organised crime groups to secure deals in recent years.

Most notably, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s 'Nativity' was stolen from the church of San Lorenzo in Palermo by members of Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian mafia, in 1969. The masterpiece is still missing.

Many artworks from Vincent van Gogh, Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet and LS Lowry have been stolen with the intention of being sold within a closed black market, or to be used as barter or collateral in deals with organised crime groups.