Police have detained 10 suspects carrying out illegal excavations to smuggle ancient artifacts from the Bilecik and southern Mersin provinces, reports said Monday.

According to reports, police in Mersin's Tarsus district discovered an illegal excavation site in the backyard of a house that had previously been cordoned off by authorities after the discovery of another illegal dig.

The eight suspects involved in the illegal excavation were detained, İhlas News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, police in Bilecik's İnhisar district detained two suspects who illegally obtained broken stones from the Byzantine era.

The suspects had been secretly carrying out illegal excavations in a rented field and dug around 4 meters in total, İhlas News Agency reported.