DAKAR, Senegal — It’s the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth — a 54-pound meteorite that fetched more than $5 million at a New York auction last month, setting a world record.

But in the West African nation of Niger, where the rusty-red rock was unearthed in the Sahara Desert, officials have launched an investigation into what they call possible “illicit international trafficking,” claiming it may have been smuggled out of the country.

Here’s what to know about the meteorite and the legal dispute:

How it was found

Sotheby’s said the rock, named NWA 16788, was blown off the surface of Mars by a massive asteroid strike and traveled 140 million miles to Earth.

It was discovered in the Sahara in northwestern Niger by a meteorite hunter in November 2023, according to the auction h

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