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Stolen Picasso snuck into U.S. as an 'art craft'

Stolen Picasso snuck into U.S. as an 'art craft'

It was shipped to the United States as a Christmas present.

But what was labeled as a $37 “art craft/toy” by a shipper named “Robert” has been since identified as a priceless stolen Picasso by the feds.

“The shipper’s declarations to customs…indicated that shipment contained a low-value handicraft toy that was being shipped to the United States as a holiday present,” court papers stated.

The 1911 painting, titled “La Coiffeuse,” was discovered by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, then seized by Homeland Security Investigations, in December.

"The recovery of the ‘La Coiffeuse’ sends a strong message to thieves that the market to sell stolen antiquities in the United States is drying up," U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Anthony Scandiffio said.

The painting had been missing from a storeroom at the Centre George Pompidou for more than a decade and is worth more than $2.5 million, the New York Times reported.

“A lost treasure has been found,” said Loretta Lynch, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

Lynch filed a civil forfeiture suit to gain possession of the painting and help return it to its rightful owner: The French government.

“Because of the blatant smuggling in this case the painting is subject to forfeiture to the United States. Forfeiture of the painting will extract it from the grasp of the black market in stolen art so it can be returned to its rightful owner,” Lynch said in a statement.

French museum officials flew to New York last month to examine the painting in person and confirm that it is, indeed, the long-lost masterpiece.

The identity of the package’s intended recipient has not been released to the media, nor is there any information on whether anyone has been arrested in connection with the theft or shipment.