Niger Intensifies Crackdown on Meteorite Smuggling After Record $5M Mars Rock Auction
Niger Intensifies Crackdown on Meteorite Smuggling After Record $5M Mars Rock Auction Niger has escalated its investigation into the record-breaking $5 million sale of a 54-pound Martian meteorite, claiming the rare space rock may have been illicitly trafficked out of the country. The meteorite, the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth, was unearthed in Niger’s Sahara Desert in November 2023 and sold at a New York auction last month, setting a new world record. Following the controversial sale,…