Authorities in Niger say they are looking into the recent sale of a meteorite discovered in the country, saying it could be a case of “illicit international trafficking.”
Niger says it will open an investigation into the sale of a Martian meteorite discovered in the West African country in 2023.
The rock is the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth and sold for more than $5 million at an auction in New York last week.
In a statement broadcast on public television, the government said it has instructed the ministers of mines, higher education and justice to look into the case which it said “likely bears the hallmarks of illicit international trafficking.”
At 25 kilogrammes, the red, brown and gray meteorite is about 70% larger than the next largest piece of Mars found on Earth and represents nearly 7% of all Martian material currently on this planet, according to Sotheby’s auction house which led the sale.
It was discovered by a meteorite hunter in the Agadez region of Niger in November 2023.
The identity of the buyer has not been disclosed.
