Italian authorities have brought down a "sophisticated" criminal group stealing and exporting precious archaeological artefacts from Italy. The gang sold millions worth of loot at a fake auction house in Belgium.
The dismantlement of the organisation and subsequent arrest of the group – which involved four suspects – were announced by Eurojust on Monday. The group were arrested in the early hours of 4 December by Italian police.
The international police operation follows an investigation which began in 2020. It was led by the Italian authorities and supported by Eurojust, but also included investigators from Belgium, Austria, Germany and Spain.
Targeting mainly Apulian and Etruscan artefacts, the group stole its historical items from archaeological sites in central and southern Italy. The cell worked with expert grave robbers and thieves to excavate invaluable objects to make "huge" profits.
Once the grave robbers had retrieved the objects, a sophisticated operation would begin. The criminal group even used a secret language to communicate and operated under several false identities.
The value of the objects was determined and fake documents were prepared to prove the apparent lawful origin of the goods. Specially equipped vehicles and professional couriers would then transport the objects to Belgium. Here, the sale of the objects was then organised through a fake auction house, which was located in Antwerp, a Eurojust spokesperson confirmed to The Brussels Times.
Roman sarcophagus
The highly successful operation has caused significant damage to Italy’s cultural heritage by selling historic evidence that is now believed to be "irretrievable".
The recovered objects include decorated ceramic vases, over 200 silver and bronze coins (from different periods), and bronze rings and pendants. In Belgium, a marble sarcophagus from the Roman Imperial Period was retrieved during the operation, while 15 Etruscan sculptures were found in Spain.
With the gang's operations crossing European borders, an international investigation was initiated at Eurojust, with orders executed in Austria, Belgium, Germany and Spain. The searches led to the seizure of important archaeological objects that were purchased through the fake auction house.
In Belgium, the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Investigating Judge Court of First Instance in Brussels and the Federal Judicial Police in both Brussels and Antwerp were part of the operation.
