SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Law enforcement agencies across multiple countries have dismantled a sophisticated criminal network trafficking stolen cultural property around the world. EuropeBulgarian authorities said on Thursday.
Cooperative operation spanning seven countries in cooperation with Eurojust europol The incident led to the arrest of 35 suspects linked to a smuggling ring that tried to sell thousands of antiquities stolen from museums across Europe. Bulgarian prosecutor Angel Kanev told a news conference that about 20 people have been charged with antiquities trafficking and money laundering.
Kanev said the criminal group has been operating in Western Europe, the Balkans, the United States and other countries for more than 16 years. Money laundering investigations have so far identified more than $1 billion in illicit funds.
On Wednesday, judicial and law enforcement authorities from Albania, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and the United Kingdom carried out coordinated actions in their respective countries.
The operation included 131 searches of homes, vehicles and bank safes in these countries, according to a Europol news release. More than 3,000 artifacts were seized, including antique gold and silver coins and other antiques with an estimated value of more than 100 million euros ($116 million). Other items seized included art, weapons, documents, electronic equipment, large amounts of cash and investments.
Paolo Befera, deputy director of the Italian Carabinieri’s Directorate for the Protection of Specialized Cultural Heritage, hailed the operation as “the largest of its kind ever carried out”, noting that in Italy alone, around 300 historical artifacts had been seized from suspected traffickers.
Home to priceless archaeological treasures from Greece and Rome, the Balkans and Italy have long attracted criminal networks that carry out plunder and theft. Despite strict national laws, such crafts are still very popular on the international black market.
