Jul 11, 2009 12:38 pm US/Eastern
Central Park's Stolen Bronze Eagles Finally Home
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Two bronze eagles stolen from Central Park more than 30 years ago by a drug dealer who used them to store his stash are finally back at home.
The eagles had been part of the City Employees War Memorial at the Mall in Central Park, which was installed in 1926.
Prosecutors say they were stolen in the mid-1970s when drug dealers in the park used them to hide their narcotics and money. The drug dealer later sold them to a client who stored them in his office.
Federal agents seized the statues in May, 2008 after getting a tip, and handed them over to the city's parks department this week.
Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said the eagles would again be affixed to the memorial, designed by George John Lober, who also created Central Park's famous Hans Christian Andersen statue.
Central Park has been a national landmark since 1963.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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