The Greek government has announced new measures to combat the international trade in stolen and fake antiques.

Culture Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis announced Monday his government will be introducing legislation to help police combat what he calls "one of the most lucrative criminal activities in the world."

Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, right, and National Archaeological Museum director Nikolaos Kaltsas, look at a gold wreath returned to Greece by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles in March.
(Petros Giannakouris/Associated Press)

Some of the measures include the creation of a special department within the ministry to be responsible for tracing stolen items and repatriating them, and allowing phone taps on suspects and prison terms for those who make fake antiquities.

The move comes after the Greek government secured the return of four ancient works from the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

One year ago, the L.A. museum agreed to return a fourth-century BC tombstone from near Thebes and a sixth-century BC votive relief from the island of Thassos. At the time, Voulgarakis declared: "This is just the beginning."

And this year, a marble figure of a young woman and a gold wreath dating from 4th century BC were returned.

Greece has been petitioning the British Museum in London for the past 20 years to return a collection of marble sculptures from the Parthenon — known as the Elgin Marbles — removed from the ancient temple under British ambassador Lord Elgin in the early 1800s.

Both Greece and Italy have begun demanding the return of objects believed to have been secreted out of their countries.

Marion True, the former curator of the Getty, is on trial in Rome over her role in acquiring some of the works claimed by Italy.

After the investigation that led to those charges, Greece launched its own investigation into the smuggling of antiquities, and Greek officials laid charges against her in December 2006. True has denied all wrongdoing and posted bail of $19,600 US in January.

True could get up to 10 years in prison on the Greek charges.