85 arrests and over 6 400 objects recovered during annual operation against international art trafficking

24th July 2024 Tony Kingham

The eighth edition of an operation against international art trafficking, codenamed ‘Pandora’, saw the involvement of customs and law enforcement authorities from 25 countries. Led by Spain (Guardia Civil), with the support of Europol and INTERPOL, the operation led to the arrest of 85 persons and recovery of over 6 400 cultural goods.

During Pandora VIII, several thousand checks were carried out at countless airports, ports and border crossing points, as well as in auction houses, museums and private residences. Law enforcement also patrolled the web and conducted over 6 000 online checks, which led to the recovery of 580 stolen goods. Across the involved countries, around 113 criminal and 137 administrative cases are still ongoing, with more arrests and seizures anticipated.

Operational highlights

Pandora VIII led to the recovery of the following stolen artefacts, among others:

In an investigation carried out by the Spanish National Police (Policia Nacional) in collaboration with the Security Service of Ukraine (Служба безпеки України), 11 items valued at more than EUR 60 million were recovered. The criminal case involved money laundering and illicit trafficking of archaeological gold items stemming from the ‘Scythian’ culture, which had been stolen in Ukraine and smuggled to Spain.
In another case, the Spanish Guardia Civil of Córdoba, with the support and advice of archaeologists from the government of Andalucía as well as the Archaeological Museum of Sevilla, seized a private collection of over 350 objects. The collection consisted of lithic, ceramic and metal pieces from a variety of archaeological periods.
Romanian Police (Poliţiei Române) recovered a wooden iconostasis dated between 1850-1880, which had been stolen from a church in Romania and attempted to be sold online.
The Bulgarian Customs Agency (Агенция Митници) seized 432 ancient coins that came from Türkiye and were destined for France.
In two investigations by the Hellenic Police (Ελληνική Αστυνομία), 43 ancient amphorae were seized and two people arrested.
After performing online checks, the Polish National Police (Policja) located and seized 229 objects in an antiques store. Some of the items were made of ivory, and the total value of the 229 objects is estimated to be EUR 140 000.
The Italian Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (Comando Carabinieri per la Tutela del Patrimonio Culturale) were able to identify and subsequently seize a contemporary painting that was being sold online. If authenticated, the painting would have had a value of approximately EUR 150 000. During the search, officers also found various counterfeit items.
In a separate investigation, the Carabinieri seized over 2 000 fragments of ceramic and lithic artefacts such as arrowheads and spearheads. The ancient items stemming from the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods had been offered for sale online.
The French Directorate-General of Customs and Indirect Taxes (Direction générale des douanes et droits indirects) seized an illegally-exported painting by the Vietnamese artist Mai Thứ (1906 – 1980) at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle Airport. The painting has an estimated value of EUR 167 440.
Cooperating with other national partners, the Czech National Police (Policie České republiky) detected and checked sales of several stolen historical objects. Among others, a wooden statue of Saint Bartholomew (dated between 1658 and 1660) was secured and returned to its original owner. In 1994, this national cultural artefact had been stolen from the ‘Last Supper Chapel’ in Římov (České Budějovice) to be later sold online.

International cooperation between countries and agencies

As a co-leader of this operation, Europol played a key role by facilitating information exchange and providing analytical and operational support to the individual national investigations.

INTERPOL supported Pandora VIII by facilitating the exchange of information between participating countries, notably with the Balkan countries. A dedicated officer was also available throughout the operation in order to check frontline seizures against INTERPOL’s Stolen Works of Art Database, and support officers on the ground in their use of the ID-Art App.

Operation Pandora, which was first launched in 2016, is an annual law enforcement operation. It is carried out in the framework of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT).