Investigators Uncover Stolen Ancient Gold Tomb From Egypt

In what sounds like the plot of a Brendan Fraser movie, an ancient Egyptian tomb was stolen and smuggled around the world.

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. teamed up with the United States Department of Homeland Security and Egyptian investigators to track down the artifact. He announced Wednesday that the gold tomb has been found and will be returned back to Egypt.

Officials said the gold tomb is a few thousand years old and was stolen in 2011. The artifact was then transported through Dubai, Germany and France before being eventually smuggled to New York. The coffin was sold a few years ago to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Vance Jr. said the smugglers used forged documents to transport and sell the tomb. Officials are continuing to work to track down many other ancient artifacts that have been swiped by smuggling groups. 

"This coffin is just one of hundreds of antiquities stolen by the same multinational trafficking ring," Vance Jr. said. "You may see a few more seizures of prominent antiquities in the months and years to come." 

Authorities said they will be pressing charges against several suspects involved in stealing the ancient gold tomb, but they did not provide identities for the suspects.