Probe shows treasure hunters lied

MADRID, June 7 (UPI) -- Spanish investigators say U.S. treasure hunters lied about the location of a sunken ship loaded with treasure.

The investigation concluded that the ship was in the Mediterranean Sea and not the Atlantic Ocean -- as the crew initially asserted -- El Mundo newspaper reported Thursday.

The Odyssey explorer company discovered last month what was considered the largest treasure in history, worth an estimated $500 million.

A Spanish court this week called for two ships belonging to a U.S. treasure-hunting company to be seized if they leave Gibraltar.

Legal experts said Spanish authorities could impound the ships if they leave the British territory and enter Spanish water, El Pais newspaper reported Wednesday.