"There were 35 arrests in Bulgaria and 131 searches in houses, vehicles, and bank safes, all of which resulted in the seizure of more than 3,000 artifacts; the estimated value of the recovered goods totaled more than €100 million ($115 million) across artworks, weapons, documents, electronic equipment, cash, and gold. The arrests were coordinated from Bulgaria's capital city, Sofia, as well as at Eurojust (European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation) in The Hague."
"The initial investigation started after a house raid in Bulgaria in 2020, during which time authorities seized approximately 7,000 cultural artifacts. The art collection included masks, military equipment, jewelry, vases, rhytons, and cups from Thracian and Greco-Roman civilizations, some of which date as far back as 2000 BCE. Some of the objects had questionable provenance issued by auction houses and art galleries in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States,"
Europol coordinated an operational task force with authorities from Albania, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Bulgaria to target cross-border cultural-asset trafficking. Operations in Bulgaria produced 35 arrests and 131 searches that recovered over 3,000 artifacts plus weapons, documents, electronics, cash, and gold valued at more than €100 million. Investigators allege a high-value target financed illegal excavations across the Balkans, using middlemen and local looters. An initial 2020 raid seized about 7,000 artifacts, including items dating to 2000 BCE. Recovered objects are being held at the Bulgarian National History Museum pending further investigation.
Read at ARTnews.com
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