CAMBODIA — A network operated by British art dealer Douglas Latchford was involved in the theft and sale of thousands of Cambodian artifacts during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The Cambodian government has spent 14 years working to locate and repatriate these items. Latchford began collecting Cambodian antiquities in the 1960s and lived in Thailand.

Brad Gordon, an American lawyer who has worked for the Cambodian government for 14 years tracking stolen artifacts, said, "I would say that he was, in many ways, the mastermind behind the greatest art heist in history." Gordon added, "Yes, in terms of scope and multitude of crime sites and the enormous amount of statues that were taken out."

Latchford published three books containing photos of Cambodian antiquities. Gordon stated, "He was using the books as sales catalogs. You know, he was handing them out. He was using them to sell pieces. And-- and he understood a certain psychology of collectors out there that if they see something in a beautiful book, they think it's legitimate." Latchford also donated sculptures to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The Khmer Rouge took power in Cambodia in 1975 and lost it in 1979; approximately 2 million people died during that regime. During this period, sites were heavily impacted by looting gangs. Gordon described one site, saying, "This was hit very heavily by the looting gangs." He also noted, "They found gold, they found statues, they found many, many things." Gordon characterized the remaining site as "a pedestal graveyard." Gordon added, "And we know when the looters came to sites like this, the first thing they took was the heads. That was the easiest to grab. And then later on maybe they come back and get the torso. But they were not very careful, so they left behind pieces."

Phoeurng Sackona is Cambodia's minister of culture and leads the government's efforts to find stolen artifacts. Sackona stated, "They're watching, everywhere…" Gordon's team met Toek Tik in 2012. Toek Tik, a former Khmer Rouge child soldier, had led a gang of looters and supplied Latchford with thousands of artifacts. Tik eventually became a confidential source for Gordon's team under the code name Lion.