Swiss find Picasso sketches worth up to $1.5 million

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss customs found a book of sketches by Pablo Picasso which could be worth 1.2-1.7 million Swiss francs ($1.06-$1.50 million) in a passenger's luggage at Zurich airport, the government said on Wednesday.

The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, used the green "nothing to declare" customs channel and the 14 original drawings were discovered during a baggage search.

The passenger, who according to Swiss law should have declared the sketch book to customs authorities, can expect to be fined, the government statement said.

Swiss authorities will also investigate if the incident is part of a wider plot to smuggle cultural goods.

An auction house dated the drawings to May and June 1971.

(Reporting by Sam Cage)