A fragment of the Aletai meteorite disguised as a garden ornament was smuggled into the UK, Russia says

Moscow – Russian researchers have prevented a giant meteorite fragment disguised as a garden ornament from being smuggled into Britain, the Federal Customs Service announced Thursday.

The giant specimen, weighing around 2.8 tons, is believed to have come from the Aletai meteorite, one of the largest known iron meteorites on Earth.

The prosecutor has opened a criminal investigation.

“Strategically important cargo was found during inspections of a sea container in the port of St. Petersburg,” the customs service said in a statement.

“While trying to export, it was declared as a garden sculpture. But a detailed inspection revealed that the origin and value of the cargo were different from the declared information,” he added.

The video showed customs officials opening a box to find the rock, a rough gray surface.

The part could cost approximately 323 million rubles ($4.2 million), the statement said.

The statement did not say which part was attempted to be imported, but that it was destined for the UK.

Scientists have raised ethical concerns about the sale of meteorites, which are often coveted for research purposes and contain important clues about the composition of the early solar system.

The Aletai meteorite was discovered in western China in 1898 and is believed to be at least 4.5 billion years old.