German museum heist gang arrested: $278,000 Worth of coins recovered

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: ARTNews
23 Jul 2023 16:17

The coins, which were discovered in 1999 and are considered a significant find of Celtic gold from the 20th century, hold both material and cultural value.

Gold bars made from melted down ancient Celtic coins that were stolen in a museum heist have been found by police in Germany. (Bavarian State Criminal Police Office)

German authorities have arrested the suspects believed to be responsible for the theft of 483 Celtic gold coins from the Kelten Römer Museum in Manching, Germany, last November, as per a report from the Art Newspaper.

The coins, which were discovered in 1999 and considered a significant find of Celtic gold from the 20th century, hold both material and cultural value, estimated at around €250,000 (approximately $278,000).

The four men suspected in the heist were apprehended in northern Germany after the Bavarian police conducted a search of 28 locations, including homes, businesses, vehicles, and a boathouse.

During the search, one of the suspects was found in possession of a plastic bag filled with melted gold, matching the composition of the stolen Celtic coins, indicating that some of the coins had already been melted down. Unfortunately, 70 of the coins are believed to be irretrievably lost, but there is still hope of recovering the rest.

Investigators have linked three of the four suspects through DNA evidence to a series of robberies dating back to 2014 in both Germany and Austria. The suspects are considered to be professional burglars, with one of them working as a telecommunications engineer. In their previous robberies, they disabled alarm systems by cutting fiberoptic cables to delay police response.

Authorities continue their investigation and are using metal detectors to search for the remaining gold around the northern German city of Schwerin, as they suspect that it may have been buried.