Welcome to this week’s edition of “Weird and Wacky Wednesdays,” where we delve into tales so bizarre, they seem ripped from a dark comedy sketch rather than news headlines. We look at a rather macabre theme linking disparate parts of the globe: grave robbing. It’s hard to rest in peace anywhere these days.
First, we journey to Peru, where ancient mummies aren’t just resting in peace but are being hawked as aliens! In Peru’s Nazca region, known for its ancient geoglyphs and archaeological significance, grave robbers like Leandro Rivera have been exploiting local legends and alien myths to market looted mummies as extraterrestrial beings.
Rivera, who was convicted in 2022 for unearthing pre-Hispanic artifacts including human remains with elongated heads, claimed these were evidence of alien life. This marketing angle has not only fueled international curiosity but also a black market thirsty for such extraordinary finds.
These activities have cast a spotlight on the ongoing struggle to protect Peru’s cultural heritage from plunder. Despite significant efforts by the Peruvian Culture Ministry, including the formation of an anti-smuggling unit and increased monitoring at international borders, grave robbers continue to smuggle hundreds of artifacts out of the country. Rivera himself admitted to removing as many as 200 sets of remains, with some ending up in countries like France, Spain, and Russia.
The demand for these so-called alien relics is exacerbated by online black markets, where anonymity and a global reach enable the sale of looted items more easily than ever before.
Next Sierra Leone, we shift from science fiction to zombies, where the undead aren’t rising, but their bones are being ground into a “zombie” drug. Sierra Leone is facing a severe public health crisis as addicts unearth graves to extract human bones used in the production of a potent psychoactive drug known as “kush.”
This disturbing trend prompted President Julius Maada Bio to declare a national emergency, with grave robbing for zombie drug production becoming a significant concern due to the demand for this drug. “Kush,” which includes ground-up human bones among its ingredients, delivers a hypnotic high and has led to a surge in drug-related fatalities and health issues.
To combat this crisis, the government has initiated several measures including the deployment of police officers to guard cemeteries and the establishment of a task force aimed at eradicating the drug. This task force’s efforts encompass setting up rehabilitation centers in every district, staffed by trained professionals, to support and treat individuals with drug addiction. However, the country’s main rehabilitation facility, hastily established in an army training center, has been criticized for its inadequate facilities.
Finally, in Melbourne, the dead are not safe from the living, especially if they’re wearing expensive jewelry. A plot twist worthy of a gangster film, in a bold act that marks a new low in Melbourne’s underworld conflicts, a mausoleum at Preston General Cemetery was desecrated during a targeted theft.
The incident involved the grave of Meshilin Marrogi, sister of convicted murderer and drug importer George Marrogi. On the early morning of July 30, 2023, thieves stole a diamond ring from Meshilin’s corpse, a crime believed to be aimed at causing distress to her brother.
The theft, carried out by two men dressed in gas masks and dark clothing, was captured on CCTV. Investigators have linked the suspects to a criminal syndicate involved in a series of arson attacks on tobacco shops across Melbourne. The operation appears to be orchestrated by a high-level criminal directing activities from overseas, intensifying the ongoing war between rival syndicates.
Detectives have now issued a new appeal for information, releasing details about a dark Mini Cooper seen in the vicinity of the cemetery around the time of the robbery.
