Greek authorities have arrested three Iranians attempting to sell three ancient Greek coins for €17,000 ($20,000), the finance ministry inspection squad said on Monday.

The inspectors who conducted the arrest also confiscated pictures of hundreds of similar coins from the detainees, a ministry statement said.

Two of the Iranians were found to be in possession of an army knife, a hatchet and a small quantity of hashish.

The Iranians were taken to the Athens prosecutor, the statement said.

With an archaeological wealth dating back to prehistoric times, Greece has long been a target for smugglers attempting to remove valuable items for sale abroad.