Turkish security forces seized a total of 32 historical artifacts in an anti-smuggling operation in central Turkey’s Kırşehir province on Thursday.

Acting on a tipoff, the anti-smuggling branch of the provincial security directorate stopped and searched a vehicle on a highway when it was on its way to Istanbul from eastern Turkey’s Van province.

Police seized a cube, four plates and 27 other objects belonging to the Byzantium era during the search of the vehicle.

The driver of the car, identified only as S.B., was detained in connection to the smuggling incident.

Thousands of anti-smuggling operations are carried out across Turkey every year to halt the illegal sale of historical objects and protect the country's rich cultural heritage. The issue is crucial to a country that is home to about 3,000 ancient cities from 42 civilizations and whose tourism industry relies on its rich historical heritage to attract millions of foreign visitors each year.