Istanbul, April 2 (IANS) Turkish police have detained three suspects in anti-smuggling operations and seized more than 3,500 ancient coins in Istanbul, local media reported.

Police teams acted upon a tip-off that a group of people was about to smuggle historical artefacts abroad and launched operations in two addresses, Xinhua news agency quoted the Sabah daily as saying on its website on Thursday.

During the searches conducted at the addresses, more than 3,500 coins dating back to the Byzantine and Roman era were recovered and three suspected smugglers were detained.

The value of the seized objects was not immediately clear, Sabah noted, adding that they will be delivered to the Istanbul Archaeological Museums.

Turkey has recently intensified its operations against illegal trafficking of historical artefacts across the country.

--IANS ksk/