July 19 (UPI) -- Authorities in Spain said they seized a sketch attributed to Pablo Picasso after a traveler attempted to smuggle it into the country from Switzerland.
Customs officials found the drawing, Trois Personnages (Three Characters), in the luggage of a passenger who failed to declare it, according to a joint news release issued Monday by Spain's Tax Agency and Civil Guard. The passenger was traveling from Zurich, Switzerland, to Ibiza, Spain, in July.
The traveler initially said the drawing was a copy and showed customs officials a receipt for $1,548. After a search of the luggage, though, officials found another receipt in the luggage putting the value of the artwork at about $464,000.
Spanish Cultural Heritage and Fine Arts officials evaluated the drawing and determined it's an original completed by Picasso in 1966 and the price on the second receipt was in line with its value.
Spanish officials said they were alerted to the smuggling attempt by counterparts in Switzerland.
Because the drawing was worth more than $153,000, it qualifies as an alleged smuggling offense, the Tax Agency said. Goods worth more than that threshold are required to be declared and are subject to duties and taxes.