Archaeologist Arrested in Greece as Europol Expands Probe Into Bozhkov-Linked Antiquities Network

The Bulgarian Anti-Money Laundering Directorate, the Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office and Europol announced this month that a coordinated action, led by Bulgarian authorities, and supported by Europol, had resulted in 35 arrests in Bulgaria and the dismantling of a major criminal network involved in large-scale trafficking of cultural goods across Europe. 

Although Europol did not name the principal High-Value Target (HVT) in this multi-country police action, the agency noted that the investigation was triggered by a 2020 house search in Bulgaria in which authorities seized approximately 7,000 cultural artefacts of exceptional historical and monetary value.  According to the Europol statement, the material consisted largely of Greco-Roman and Thracian antiquities of remarkable quality and significance.  Bulgarian Prosecutor Angel Kanev, under national police protections for threats made to his life in this investigation, pointed out that the investigation centred on a case the country had been following for four years and involved coordination with law enforcement actions in Germany, Japan, Italy, the US, and the UK. 

The only publicly documented seizure of that scale, in Bulgaria, during 2020, was the government’s raid on the holdings of Bulgarian gaming tycoon Vasil Bozhkov, AKA Vassil Bojkov, whose business entities were searched on 20 January 2020 by the Specialised Prosecutor’s Office. Widely described as the country’s richest man, Bozhkov has long been referred to as the country's most notorious gangster, with allegations of money laundering, extortion, racketeering, tax fraud, and illegal antiquities dealing documented as early as a 2009 U.S. Embassy leaked diplomatic cable made public through WikiLeaks.

At the time of the 2020 search and subsequent seizure, Bozhkov faced seven criminal charges, including leading an organised crime group, coercion, extortion, attempted bribery of an official and incitement to malfeasance in office.  During the raid, prosecutors and police entered his offices at Nove Holding on Moskovska Street in Sofia and impounded 6,778 of the mogul's antiquities dating from as early as 4,000 BCE through the 6th century CE.  Shortly after these raids Bozhkov was handed additional charges, including influence trading and holding and expropriating valuable cultural artefacts.

Later, in June 2021, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Bozhkov, under E.O. 13818 for materially supporting corruption, misappropriation of state assets, and related criminal activity.  In February 2023, the United Kingdom followed suit and imposed sanctions under its Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime.  After spending years in Dubai as a fugitive and avoiding extradition on a European arrest warrant, Bozhkov returned to Sofia voluntarily in August 2023 and remains at liberty with some restrictions while his numerous trials proceed through the Bulgarian courts.

The November Europol operation, coordinated this month, expands upon Bozhkov's earlier antiquities-related investigations and extends into multiple jurisdictions.

In late November (19 November and later) Greek anti-mafia officers working with the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (DAOE) Sub-Directorate for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and Goods carried out a specialised police operation at multiple locations in Greece, including a mansion purchased by Bozhkov in 2018 for the sum of 6 million euros.  

Acting on a warrant issued by a Greek prosecutor, authorities in the country were aware that despite being a defendant in a mounting number of high-profile cases, including contract killings, money laundering, tax evasion and attempted rape of Maria Filipova, the former head of the State Gambling Commission, Bozhkov had been granted permission to travel abroad with court permission staying at the mansion he had purchased in the resort village of Hanioti on the Halkidiki peninsula.  In doing so, he is said to have spent more time in Greece than in Bulgaria in the past year.  

Perhaps tipped off to the pending police action, Bozhkov was not at his residence at the time the search warrant was executed by the Greek police, having departed one day prior.  In an interview with Sasho Dikov, afterward, Bozhkov admitted to the search having occurred of his Greek estate, but denied that an arrest warrant had been issued by the Greek authorities which some Bulgarian news sites have stated.

During this same investigation, related searches were also carried out by Greek authorities at other locations in Athens, Malesina (Fthiotis), and Saronida (Attica) targeting four individuals related to Bozhkov's alleged criminal activity.  At one residence in Athens, police arrested a 60-year-old archaeologist which Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported as having assisted in managing the private antiquities collection of the Bulgarian businessman known as “the Skull,” a nickname widely associated with Bozhkov.  

At said residence, officers seized 474 ancient objects from the Hellenistic and Mycenaean periods, four ancient coins, a wooden icon of St Anthony classified as an antiquity under Greek law, two precision scales, banking documents, photographs of archaeological material, reference books depicting antiquities and ancient object auctions, and 3,200 euros in cash.   Upon being taken into custody, the scholar confirmed his relationship with the Bulgarian businessman but claimed that the seized antiquities in his possession were there as part of his professional capacity for research purposes. 

Unnamed initially in most news publications, the arrested scholar is easily identified as he was said to have taught at a university in Prague.  Other news sources went on to state that the academic had previously met Bozhkov in 2014 and worked as a researcher and catalogue writer for his extensive collection, as well as on related archaeological projects.

All of the aforementioned details provide a solid match to an affiliated professor of Classical Archaeology at Charles University in Prague named Athanasios Sideris.  According to this scholar's LinkedIn profile, he was the director of excavations in Halka Bunar, Bulgaria between 2009 and 2014 and from January 2017 until August 2022 was the Head Curator of the Thrace Foundation, in Sofia where he was responsible for curating and organising exhibitions and publications for Bozhkov's mostly unprovenanced antiquities collection. 

Sideris is also the author of several books featuring material from Bozhkov problematic ancient art collection.  One of these, Theseus in Thrace: the silver lining on the clouds of the Athenian-Thracian relations in the 5th century BC published by Bozhkov's Thrace Foundation in 2015, includes unprovenanced material from the Bozhkov Collection, as well as other unnamed private collections in Bulgaria, some of which have never been published previously.  At least two of the objects depicted in this catalogue have previously been in circulation with the Swiss gallery, Phoenix Ancient Art.  They are:

     • a Phiale depicting Thetis and Nereids bringing Achilles, 430-420 BCE

     • a Kylix belonging to the “Rhenia” type depicting a  Greco-Thracian rider. 430-420 BCE

How the current investigations will advance the cases against Bozhkov or those related to his enterprises remains to be seen, but it marks a significant escalation in ongoing efforts to dismantle transnational networks responsible for the looting, laundering, and illicit circulation of plundered cultural property in Europe. It also underscores how deeply embedded some actors have been within both academic and commercial sectors, blurring the boundaries between scholarship, private collecting, and illicit trade.

As these investigations continue one thing is clear: the protection of cultural heritage depends not only on police action but on confronting the long-standing entanglements between wealth, influence, organised crime and the illegal antiquities market. For additional background on Vasil Bozhkov's art related cases, readers may wish to consult our earlier ARCA blog posts here:

Vasil Bozhkov's antiquities collection ordered to be seized by Bulgarian authorities.

The less than clear origins of fugitive Vasil Bozhkov's Thrace and Private Collections.

Charge of unlawful possession of items of cultural value has been added to existing charges against Vasil Bozhkov.

Meet our Alumni — ARCA PG Cert Spotlight Series: Santana Nash, Artistic Residency and Student Programming Coordinator

Welcome to ARCA’s PG Cert Alumni Spotlight Series, a collection of in-depth Q&A interviews conducted by Dr. Edgar Tijhuis*, highlighting the professional journeys, achievements, and ongoing contributions of graduates from ARCA’s Postgraduate Certificate Programmes in Art Crime and Cultural Heritage Protection. Through these conversations, we aim to showcase the diverse paths our alumni have taken—across academia, law enforcement, museums, research, policy, and the cultural heritage sector—and to share the insights, motivations, and experiences that continue to shape their work in safeguarding the world’s shared artistic legacy.

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What motivated you to enroll in ARCA’s Postgraduate Program?                                                         I first discovered ARCA through a Google search and immediately knew I had to apply. I was at a point in my education and career where I wanted to continue expanding my knowledge of the arts. When I learned that there was a field dedicated to art crime and cultural heritage protection, I began researching how to enter it. From what I found, ARCA was one of the only, if not the only, program specializing in this field of study, so applying was an easy decision.

Can you describe a moment in the program that had a lasting impact on you—personally or professionally?

One moment that had a lasting impact on me was during the Museum Security course. We had the chance to visit a museum in Rome and perform a security risk assessment, looking for potential vulnerabilities. This experience stayed with me because now, every time I walk into a museum, I mentally assess its security, especially regarding theft.

What was your favorite course or topic, and why did it stand out?

My favorite course was the Art Forgery Masterclass taught by Dr. Noah Charney. It reminded me of art history, which is my specialty, but with a focus on historically successful forgers. I found the topic so fascinating that I decided to write my capstone on a related subject.

How did the international nature of the program influence your learning experience?

Learning in a classroom is one thing. Studying in a foreign country is something else entirely. Going to Amelia was my first time leaving the United States. Although I was nervous, I believe the location made the experience unforgettable. Immersing myself in the culture and slower pace of life in Amelia was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Days felt peaceful, connections were meaningful, and it was the perfect place to spend the summer.

Did the program change or shape your career path? 

Yes, it did. I am still exploring what I want to do long-term, but I knew after the program that I wanted to pursue a career in cultural heritage protection. I am just still exploring how to enter the field. I currently work as an arts and engagement coordinator and also teach art history as an adjunct professor. I am now pursuing a PhD with an institution that holds international residencies twice a year.                                                                                    I chose this program because it reminded me of ARCA and the opportunity to study art in an international setting.

Can you share a memorable interaction you had with faculty, guest speakers, or fellow students?

As I mentioned earlier, the course with Dr. Noah Charney was my favorite. I was familiar with him before the program, so being able to attend his class felt surreal. He later became my capstone advisor and helped me publish my article in the Journal of Art Crime. Dr. Charney has also written letters of recommendation for me, including one for my PhD application, so I am grateful that our initial interaction turned into an ongoing mentorship.

What advice would you give to someone considering applying for the 2026 programmes?

Just go for it! I tend to hesitate and overthink, but with ARCA, I kept saying yes, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. It can be easy to talk yourself out of something that feels scary, but take the risk and trust that it will be worth it.

How has your understanding of art crime evolved since completing the program?

I learned so much during the program. Before ARCA, my knowledge of art crime was limited and based mostly on one of my favorite childhood shows, White Collar. At ARCA, I learned the real mechanisms of art crime and cultural heritage protection, and I continue to use that knowledge today.

In one sentence: why should someone consider joining ARCA's programmes?

ARCA’s programmes offer an unmatched combination of meaningful subject matter, unforgettable location, and a truly transformative experience, all while advancing your education and career.

About alumna Santana Nash

Santana Nash is an art historian and arts professional dedicated to expanding cultural engagement through the visual arts. She serves as the Artistic Residency and Student Programming Coordinator at Georgia Tech, where she curates arts initiatives that connect students and local communities with creative practitioners. Santana also teaches as an Adjunct Professor of the Arts in Atlanta, Georgia.

She holds a Master’s degree in Art History from Georgia State University and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Visual Arts at the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts (IDSVA), specialising in Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Art Theory. Her previous experience spans museum education at the High Museum of Art, curatorial work at the Georgia Museum of Art, and research in art crime, with published work in the Journal of Art Crime.

* Dr Edgar Tijhuis is Academic Director at ARCA and is responsible for coordinating ARCA’s postgraduate certificate programmes. Since 2009, he has also taught criminology modules within ARCA's PG Certification programming.

 

Red Flags Ignored? Seventeen Egyptian artefacts have been formally returned to Egypt from Australia

In a significant victory in the fight against illicit antiquities trafficking, seventeen Egyptian artefacts have been formally returned to the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt in a handover held at the Australian Parliament House in Canberra on 26 November 2025, where officials marked the return as a milestone for cultural property protection.   Ambassador Nabil Habashi, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, presided over the ceremony, receiving the voluntarily repatriated artefacts from an Australian citizen in the city of Melbourne, in coordination with the Australian side.   Additionally, Egypt and Australia signed the documents for the return of 17 rare Pharaonic artefacts to Egypt.

As Per MP Tony Burk, "most of the objects were purchased online and imported into Australia from the United States of America on separate occasions. A number were detected during a 2019 global operation to combat cultural property trafficking led by INTERPOL and the World Customs Organisation." 

Among the items handed over were:

     • a wooden statue of Isis which dates to the Ptolemaic period (332—30 BCE)

     • a sarcophagus panel depicting the goddess Nut (also Nunut, Nuit), mother of 

      Isis (664—30 BCE)

     • a mummy case (1570—332 BCE)

     • an amulet of Ptah (664−30 BCE) 

     • a matching amulet headrest (1,070−323 BCE) 

     • a range of pottery vessels and funerary jars spanning epochs from Naqada II 

      (c. 3500 – 3200 BCE) to the Ptolemaic era (332 – 30 BCE)

     • and a mummy cartonnage ensemble for a child

These objects had been illicitly acquired and imported into Australia from the United States and were eventually seized under Australia’s Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986, which enables the repatriation of cultural property illegally exported from its country of origin.  

Left Image: Artemis Auction sale photo
Right Image:  Restituted cartonnage ensemble

The child's cartonnage ensemble, used for adorning a mummified body, is interesting as it was put up for auction online by Teresa and Bob Dodge at Artemis Fine Arts auction house in Louisville, Colorado where it reportedly sold for $10,000 USD on 13 February 2020.  

The provenance listed for the auction of this artefact was listed as:

Private J.H. collection, Beaverton, Oregon, USA; ex-Relics of the Nile, Lexington, Kentucky; ex-private S.O. Simonian collection, Switzerland, acquired in Egypt and transported to Switzerland in 1972, where they have been held in storage since 2010

J.H. is Jeff Hallen, a part-time collector-dealer in Beaverton, Oregon who, according to his Facebook profile was once affiliated with Yanto Alexander Fine Art.  He has also stated in a social media group that he was selling his collection through Artemis in Colorado.   Relics of the Nile, is a virtual dealer operated by Mike Sigler who in turn has purchased and circulated ancient artefacts which have passed through the hands of at least one suspect dealer operating in Dubai.

One should also note that this online sale took place in 2020, the year after Serop Simonian's name was scandalously linked as the alleged trafficker of the Gold Coffin of Nedjemankh, seized by the D.A.’s Office in Manhattan and HSI New York from the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as other problematic pieces.  Given the high visibility of that scandal, it is reasonable to question what level of due diligence, if any, was conducted by Dodge when Artemis purchased, or accepted, the cartonnage on consignment, before subsequently auctioning the suspect artefacts onward to the  collector in Melbourne.

Why This Matters for the Global Fight Against Cultural Heritage Crime

The repatriation of these objects highlights a few critical truths for the broader field of cultural heritage protection:

It demonstrates that trafficked artefacts can surface and travel anywhere in the world, even in countries far removed from their origin, and that the illicit trade in cultural property often spans multiple continents, from excavation zones in post-conflict source countries, through transit countries, and on to primary and secondary market countries changing hands multiple times in sales and exports before arriving to private collectors, 

Laws like Australia’s Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act, combined with effective enforcement at borders and cooperation between national authorities, is what makes a real difference in recovering cultural property for source nations. And restitution is more than a symbolic act, it allows communities to reclaim part of their collective heritage.  For organisations like Association for Research into Crimes against Art (ARCA), this case serves as a concrete reminder that global vigilance, cross-border collaboration, and robust legal frameworks are essential if we are to put even a small dent in the tide of illicit heritage trafficking.

As we reflect on this satisfactory outcome, we should ask ourselves: how many more objects remain untraced, circulating anonymously through auction houses, private collections, or illicit networks? And if I found it this easy to trace the provenance of just one of these restituted objects, why is it that dealers and auction houses continye to walk around with one eye closed for the sake of a sale? 

By:  Lynda Albertson

Last Alleged Member of Louvre Strike Team Caught as Paris Police Make Four New Arrests

According to Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, four additional arrests have been made in connection with the high-profile jewellery robbery carried out at the Musée du Louvre on 19 October 2025. Among those detained is the final alleged member of the commando team believed to have executed the theft in the Apollo Gallery during public opening hours. This fourth suspect, a resident of Aubervilliers, was taken into custody early this morning in Laval, Mayenne, by investigators from the Banditry Repression Brigade (BRB). He is currently being held for questioning along with another man and two women arrested during the same operation.

Three men, aged between 35 and 39, had already been indicted following the launch of formal judicial proceedings on 29 October. All three face charges of robbery in an organised gang and criminal association. 

Two of the named suspects, Ayed Ghelamallah and Abdoulaye Niakate, are alleged to be the pair who entered the Louvre gallery on the François Mitterrand quay while posing as workmen. They were arrested on 25 October and ordered into pretrial detention. Their identification reportedly stems from DNA recovered both at the crime scene and from one of the motorbikes used during their escape.

A third, member of the four-man team, Slimane K., who is suspected of having driven one of the two scooters used in the theft, was arrested on 29 October.  He has  likewise been ordered held in police custody pending trial. All four alleged participants appear to have lived in or near the Aubervilliers commune in the Seine-Saint-Denis district of Paris.

In addition to the suspected thieves, a 38-year-old woman arrested on 29 October has been charged with complicity in the robbery.

Today's Developments

The four new arrests made today remain under investigation and follow the continuing work of France's BRB to dismantle the full network believed to have been involved in or provided material support for the museum theft. 

Despite the progress made by investigators, the stolen jewels, which are estimated to be worth approximately 88 million euros, have not yet been recovered.

Italian Authorities Arrest 55 Suspects in Major Archaeological Looting Probe in Sicily

In a major operation targeting two antiquities-trafficking networks, the Palermo unit of the Carabinieri’s Nucleo Tutela del Patrimonio Culturale (TPC), under coordination by the Catania Deputy Prosecutor, Fabio Scavone, has uncovered evidence of extensive clandestine excavations at more than twenty archaeological sites in Sicily and an additional site in Roccelletta di Borgia, Calabria.  These incidences, carried out between 2021 and 2023. resulted in the systematic removal of a substantial number of cultural artefacts, which were then smuggled out of Italy and laundered onto the licit ancient art market.

According to the reconstruction presented by the Italian court magistrates, coordinated by the deputy prosecutor Fabio Scavone and the substitute Giovanni Gullo, a total of 74 suspects have been identified in this large transnational investigation.  All are alleged to have been part of two criminal networks capable of managing the entire clandestine supply chain: from the sourcing of objects through illegal excavation by grave robbers through intermediary smugglers and on to the international sale of the  archaeological finds outside of Italy in contravention of the country's cultural property laws. 

Overall, the Prosecutor's Office examined a total of 292 incidents documented in a 1,700-page crime report produced by the Carabinieri of the Palermo Cultural Heritage Protection Unit.  Having reviewed the evidence surrounding the case, the prosecutor asked for precautionary measures for 55 of the identified suspects, individuals believed to have been directly involved in the sourcing and/or trafficking of archaeological material illegally excavated in Italy and later moved into markets in Europe and the United Kingdom. 

Of these, prosecutors have asked for the pre-trial detention for 12 of the suspects, as well as house arrest pending trial for another 35, and lighter reporting obligations for eight other individuals, pending the resolution of their individual cases through the courts.

The list of suspects released publicly with pretrial precautionary measures or incarceration are:

Maria Lisa Aloi
Filippo Asero
Salvatore Romano Benfatto
Giuseppe Bertolami
Vincenzo Boccadifuoco
Salvatore Bonaventura
Giuseppe Buceti
Filadelfo Calvagna
Salvatore Camonita
Giovanni Castro
Salvatore Cavallaro
Benedetto Chiara
Carmelo De Luca
Fortunata Di Dio
Giuseppe Di Mauro
Alfio Emmanuele
Giuseppe Esposito
Domenico Faranda
Gaetano Faranda
Emanuele Ferro
Vincenzo Filonardi
Filippo Franceschino
Mario Gagliano
Vittorio Emanuele Guzzetta Bongiovanni
Giuseppe Salvatore Insigna
Leandro Insolia
Massimiliano Insolia
Enrico Lo Verde
Massimo Lucca
Settimo Carmelo Minnella
Umberto Moruzzi
Adriano Nicotra
Michele Consolato Nicotra
Salvatore Palumbo
Andrea Panicotti
Gianfranco Paternò
Nicolò Petronio
Giuseppe Pezzino
Sergiu Ionica Pop
Antonio Portale
Simone Adriano Petrin
Alessandro Privitera
Giuseppe Rapisarda
Vincenzo Rau
Antonio Francesco Rotondo
Francesco Salvia
Santo Sambataro
Vito Spitaleri
Vito Stancanelli
Giuseppe Strano
Pietro Tomasello

Salvatore Tomasello (born 1957)

Salvatore Tomasello (born 1967),
Giuseppe Sebastian Viola

It should be noted that the individuals cited by the authorities and documented in this article are for now are simply under investigation and have not been convicted of any crime.  It is also important to remind our readers that there is a substantial and essential difference between being a suspect in an investigation and being adjudicated guilty in a court of law. 

Preliminary Investigations Judge Simona Ragazzi has scheduled hearings in relationship to this trafficking investigation for November 25-29.

According to the 1,700-page report related to this investigation, the Carabinieri utilised surveillance devices and analysed documents, and auctions held in various locations outside of Italy ultimately allowing them to reconstruct the entire chain of thesetwo lucrative trafficking rings which primariy struck sites around Paternò, a town in Catania near Mt. Etna, Kamarina in the Ragusa area, Himera in the Palermo area, Megara Hyblaea in the Syracuse area, and Scolacium in Roccelletta di Borgia in the Catanzaro area.    

Dense in detail the TPC report demonstrates that wire taps placed on the suspects phones revealed that some accomplices used code words to describe the tools of the illicit trade used in their looting activities as well the names of the sites they plundered.  Likewise, on occasion the accomplices lapsed into speaking frankly,  discussing individual artefacts, silver, and jewellery found during their clandestine excavations.

Italian investigators confirmed that many of the objects excavated from these locations made their way into the licit ancient coin markets in the UK and Germany via foreign intermediaries abroad.  In one of several documented incidences 46 ancient coins dating between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE were sold in 2021 at a Munich auction house, where they brought in more than 42,000 euros.  Part of these assets were seized by the German judiciary, pursuant to a European judicial order issued by the Catania prosecutor's office.

A second grouping of coins chose a path to the UK and were laundered onto the London numismatic market by one suspect where 39 coins minted by the Greek colonies on Sicily including litrae, tetradrachms, denarii, and sestertii were reportedly sold on 7 October 2021, for a total of £88,590.00.

The scale of the arrests underscores not only the risks posed by organised heritage crime and transnational trafficking networks, but also a persistent and uncomfortable reality: despite decades of national awareness, strong legislation, and highly capable investigative units, Italy remains one of the world’s richest source countries for antiquities looting. Tomb raiders and illicit metal detectorists continue to plunder archaeological sites across Sicily, from Himera to Kamarina, Eraclea Minoa, Gela, and beyond, stripping the ground of artefacts valued anywhere from a few hundred euros to several thousand pounds, where they can easily be funnelled into the don't ask-don't tell international market accompanied by forged provenance documents.

By:  Lynda Albertson

Gold Coin Heist in Lausanne Highlights Growing Trend of Melt-Value Museum Theft

In another brazen opening hours robbery in Switzerland, the Musée romain de Lausanne Vidy, was targeted on Tuesday evening just before closing time. The theft took place as staff were preparing to close the building to visitors, turning what should have been a routine end to the day into a serious security incident.

According to early reports, the crime began around 4:45 p.m. Two men entered the museum located at 24 Chemin du Bois-de-Vaux after purchasing tickets at the entrance. They moved among the exhibits without drawing attention, blending in with the remaining visitors. Shortly before the museum’s scheduled closing time of 6:00 p.m., and after the last visitors had departed for the evening, the men are alleged assaulted and overpowered the 64 year old security guard. The guard was assaulted and restrained, leaving the perpetrators free to break open a display case containing a selection of Roman gold coins.

The city of Lausanne has confirmed that the items stolen were gold coins from the museum’s celebrated Maladière Treasure, also known as the Vidy Treasure. This coin hoard, made up of roughly seventy gold aurei, dates from the reign of Emperor Tiberius, i.e., from about 14 to 37 CE.  They were uncovered during archaeological exploration work at the site of the ancient city of Lousonna in the 1930s, just steps away from the Roman museum.

Shortly after 144 AD, this hoard of coins, then one of the ten largest known in the Roman world, was buried in Lousonna in two separate hiding places inside the same house and span more than a century of Roman numismatic history. Each batch contained 35 gold coins: the first grouping minted between 72 and 143 CE,  and the second between 100 and 144 CE.  The variety represented in the Vidy Treasure makes it an invaluable resource for studying the monetary and cultural life of theRoman settlement in Switzerland near Lake Geneva.

The museum has not yet released a full list of the missing items and an active investigation is underway. Authorities are reviewing security footage and interviewing staff in an effort to identify the two thieves, while curators begin the difficult process of assessing which pieces have been taken. 

Since 2017, across Europe and beyond, museums have seen a rise in gold and jewellery related thefts in recent years, a trend driven largely by the intrinsic value and portability of the material itself. Unlike most art objects, which require a buyer willing to traffic in identifiable cultural property, gold artefacts such as coins offer thieves an immediate and anonymous payout: they can be melted down, stripped of identifying features, and sold as raw bullion within hours. This makes ancient coins, and other gold objects particularly attractive targets, especially for opportunistic criminal groups who view cultural heritage not for its historical significance but for its liquidation potential. 

With 70 coins in all, this treasure represents one avoirdupois pound of gold or slightly more than 14 troy ounces.  At the time of this hoard's burial, the gold coins were worth about 7,000 sesterces, the equivalent of 7 years’ salary for a legionary living in  that period.  At the time this blog article was written the current spot price for gold in Switzerland was approximately CHF 3,286.57 per troy ounce, meaning that melted down these historic finds would be worth approximately CHF 47,922. 

While the loss of any part of the Maladière Treasure represents a significant blow, both to the museum’s collection and to the wider field of Roman archaeology,  museums need to start treating their gold collections as high-risk holdings, balancing public access with heightened security to protect objects that are uniquely vulnerable to fast, irreversible destruction.

Meet our Alumni — ARCA PG Cert Spotlight Series: Detective Constable Lionel Doe

Welcome to ARCA’s PG Cert Alumni Spotlight Series, a collection of in-depth Q&A interviews conducted by Dr. Edgar Tijhuis, highlighting the professional journeys, achievements, and ongoing contributions of graduates from ARCA’s Postgraduate Certificate Programmes in Art Crime and Cultural Heritage Protection. Through these conversations, we aim to showcase the diverse paths our alumni have taken—across academia, law enforcement, museums, research, policy, and the cultural heritage sector—and to share the insights, motivations, and experiences that continue to shape their work in safeguarding the world’s shared artistic legacy.

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What motivated you to enroll in ARCA’s Postgraduate Program?

I’m a police officer, and at the time I was an instructor at the Toronto Police College.  I had been fascinated with art crime, having read anything I could find on the subject.  I took it upon myself to organize an art crime conference at the college and was amazed at the response.  While hosting this event I was approached by an ARCA alumni, Mark Collins, who was with the Ontario Provincial Police.  He encouraged me to look into ARCA. It was the natural choice because I studied fine art in university before police work, and so I have rudimentary knowledge in Art History and a passion for modern art.  The overlap between the elusive, semi-opaque art market, and organized crime networks, was too fascinating not to study.

Can you describe a moment in the program that had a lasting impact on you—personally or professionally?

There were several moments.  But I’ll speak to one: Having done the mandatory reading before starting the programme, The Medici Conspiracy, which was mind blowing – from the investigative journalists uncovering a highly organized criminal network, to the prosecution of most of the key players, the artifacts involved became epic in my mind.  The course scheduled a visit to the necropolis complex at Cerveteri – and walking among the dug-up tombs – a city of illegally excavated tombs – was impactful, to say the least.  But then to visit the Cerite National Museum of Cerveteri, that now houses the infamous Euphronios Krater, was the crystalizing moment for me, as a student of art and heritage crime, to see the physical result of that investigation, rightfully placed in the museum.

What was your favorite course or topic, and why did it stand out?

Course 1:  Lynda Albertson’s and Stefano Alessandrini’s “Progress, Prospects and Limitations of Databases for Stolen Art”, perhaps because it was the introduction to the entire course, it set the mood – content, yes, of course it delivered how these investigations go, how they can be started, what tools are out there, but on a personal level, the students were introduced to one another, and also the heart and soul of the program, which is represented by Lynda and Stefano, two individuals so passionate about their respective specialties – Lynda, an ace researcher/investigator, and Stefano, an archaeologist advisor to Italy's Ministry of Culture.  

It was an introduction to a world that I wanted to be a part of, because of their commitment to the topic, the work, the research, but also to them, the humans, who, at the same time are introducing the participants to Italy, to Amelia.  I can’t state how special the program is in its context of an ancient city so full of love and life.

How did the international nature of the program influence your learning experience?

There were students from Italy, Argentina, the Netherlands, the US and Canada, most of whom studied or worked abroad at some point – with instructors from all over Europe, as well as Syria, Australia, and the United States.  It makes for great discussions with so many perspectives.  The international examples that inevitably come up while discussing a variety of topics give wider depth and context to every learning point.  When one considers the bilateral agreements in place between archaeological or source countries and market countries, it’s nice to hear from relevant researchers, prosecutors or museum curators their relevant experience and perspectives.

Did the program change or shape your career path? If so, how? 

When I returned to Canada, and to the Toronto Police Service, there was immediate and extensive interest in the program, and what I learned.  No, my job title didn’t change, as it is a municipal service and has limited jurisdiction with international crimes, but I do consult on investigations nationwide, and I was also asked to create online training for all Canadian police officers, and based on a lot of what was learned at ARCA, there will be an Introduction to Art and Heritage Crime in Canada course, available on the Canadian Police Knowledge Network.  

This is the first of its kind, and I was proud to create the content for it.  I was also invited to join the Heritage Crime Task Force, under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and have now lectured on Canadian art frauds, and various case studies in Austria, Poland, and Finland, with more to come.  The opportunities to network and collaborate with international agencies that have come to pass because of the ARCA programme are many and varied.  I couldn’t be more pleased with this result.

What was it like to live and study in Amelia, Italy?

This is, by far, the best part of the program.  Amelia is a perfect postcard town, high in the hills, a walled and ancient city, with remnants of its Etruscan beginnings, a storied history, and with the most pleasant and welcoming people.  The cafes, the restaurants, and nightlife are still with me in my dreams.  It’s a short train ride to Rome, to Perugia, and the winding roads that lead to every picturesque village around, are tailor-made for car commercials.  Living and studying in Amelia has been the highlight of my life, put simply.

Can you share a memorable interaction you had with faculty, guest speakers, or fellow students?

To this I’ll just say that the ARCA conference held every year in June, is by far, the best conference I’ve ever been a part of.  The setting is perfect, the highlight for me, was the Casablanca-themed gala hosted at a nearby castle overlooking the Umbrian hills.  All the participants dressed in the style or the characterization of the film Casablanca and networked on a patio with the attendees of the conference, as well as the participants of the ARCA program, with several alumni joining as guests from all over the world – this speaks to its appeal.  It remains the most naturally elegant and fun conference, and I’m still in touch with a great many people I met there.  

What advice would you give to someone considering applying for the 2026 sessions?

Just to trust the CEO, Lynda Albertson, and her staff, who couldn’t be better at organizing and running this program.  At no time did I have an issue that wasn’t immediately solved, by both ARCA, and Amelia.  It sounds daunting, to go to Italy for three months, or six weeks, depending on the programme, but it was quite seamless, thanks to the experience and resolve of the organization.

How has your understanding of art crime evolved since completing the program?

I’ve learned a great deal since the program, it’s true, as a participant in the training with the Heritage Crime Task Force, and with my consultations with Canadian based investigations. The world is changing quickly, as a different US government with different priorities was elected, and the conflict areas in the Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan have changed the conversation in the last year, now without US aid.  

I also learned how much people don’t know about this topic.  I have endeavoured, in the last year, to increase awareness in my service, my country, on the topic with the hopes that our courts can at least enter into the conversation art and heritage crime investigations and criminal charges.  We’re still a long way away.  In addition to that, myself and my de facto partner in art crime fighting, Mark Collins, are doing our best to increase awareness amongst private collectors to consider repatriations of objects that rightfully belong to their source countries.

In one sentence: why should someone join ARCA's program?

There are probably different reasons for different people to consider ARCA.  For some, recent graduate students, or students in between degrees, a summer in Amelia studying art crime is the perfect opportunity to reinvigorate a passion for art and justice.  For those settled in a career, and I speak from experience here, one may find themselves either burning out from intense work, or, equally damaging, in my opinion, languishing.  To languish in a career that at one time fired you up, is normal, but there is an antidote: The Association for Research into Crimes Against Art.  For me, a city police officer who studied art in a past life, it reinvigorated a passion that married my experience and skills with my academic pursuits.  Also, I’m a big hit at parties.  I just start talking about ARCA and everyone is absolutely enthralled.

Alumni Bio:

Detective Constable Lionel Doe is an 18-year veteran of the Toronto Police Service, where he has served as an investigator, forensic specialist, and instructor with expertise in criminal investigations and cultural heritage protection. He holds a Master of Fine Arts from Concordia University, uniting a background in the arts with investigative law enforcement experience to bring a multidisciplinary perspective to art and heritage crime.

A lecturer and member of OSCE’s Heritage Crime Task Force, Lionel has trained law enforcement and cultural professionals across Europe, contributing to international efforts to combat art theft, forgery, and the illicit trade in cultural property. His work emphasizes the integration of policing, scholarship, and cultural stewardship.

Outside his professional and academic work, Lionel is also a singer-songwriter and guitarist with the Toronto-based Americana band So Dirty the Flamingos, whose recordings and performances explore the narrative edges of contemporary roots music.

When the Internet’s Memory Fails: How to avoid digital amnesia

Already under sustained pressure from multiple attempts to permanently shut it down, the Internet Archive, the nonprofit digital library that preserves billions of web pages, books, and cultural materials, went offline this morning across Europe. The sudden outage sent researchers scrambling, particularly those with limited resources who rely on the Archive to save pages or consult materials that no longer exist elsewhere.

Why are we concerned?

On/around 28 September 2024, the Archive's "The Wayback Machine" suffered a data breach after a threat actor compromised the website and stole a user authentication database, containing 31 million unique records.  That incident took 916 billion saved webpages offline and highlighting the vulnerabilities faced by the digital heritage preservation platform used by OSINT researchers around the world.  

It is not yet confirmed whether today’s outage is the result of a second cyberattack, but the error messages appearing on the site resemble those displayed during the previous breach.

Why all this matters

The Internet Archive functions as the world’s largest repository of digital memory. Since its founding in 1996, the nonprofit has automatically crawled, stored, and periodically recaptured snapshots of the web. By 2024, it had archived approximately 916 billion webpages, along with millions of books, audio recordings, videos, and digital documents.

This makes the platform a kind of digital archaeological site, allowing researchers to trace the evolution of websites through its virtual stratigraphy: who published what, when, and how it changed over time. When a resource of this scale and significance goes offline, access to that layered history disappears instantly. It is, in effect, the digital equivalent of watching your most valuable library burn; taking with it countless out-of-print or once-accessible materials.

A reminder of digital fragility

Events like these underscore the risks of depending on a single digital repository to safeguard the collective memory of the internet. A major or prolonged outage represents a form of digital amnesia: a loss of memory, a severed connection to the records which for some of us, can make or break the documentation chain around the circulation of works of art. 

They also remind us that even nonprofit, mission-driven institutions with global importance lie the Internet Archive remain vulnerable to outages, data breaches, and sophisticated cyberattacks. Redundancy, decentralisation, and robust backup strategy are therefor essential for anyone working in the field of digital heritage preservation.

Alternative archiving tools — and their limitations

While the Internet Archive remains the most comprehensive resource of its kind, researchers frequently turn to alternative services during outages. One widely used option is archive.ph (also known as archive.today), a free, user-driven snapshot service that stores a single manual capture of any page submitted to it.

Unlike the Internet Archive, archive.ph does not crawl websites automatically, and each page must be saved manually by a user. This can create gaps in coverage, especially for fast-changing or ephemeral content. Additionally, the site is blocked or partially restricted in several countries due to jurisdictional disputes over content and concerns about bypassing paywalls. It can still be accessed, however, by routing traffic through a VPN or the TOR browser. Because archive.ph relies entirely on manual submissions and lacks any long-term institutional mandate, its preservation value is fundamentally different from, and considerably more limited than, that of the Internet Archive. For this reason, we strongly recommend saving any archived pages to your own data files as well.

As the Internet Archive works to restore service and ensure the integrity of its data, today’s disruption serves as an urgent reminder. Digital preservation should not rely on any one system, no matter how vital, or free, to carry the weight of our shared cultural memory.

Organisations or researchers with a budget to invest in more robust, controlled, or institutional-grade preservation tools can choose from several paid archiving solutions.  Hunchly being the one I personally find invaluable as it can also be configured to document the full path a researcher took to reach any captured page.  Not cheap, but essential for ARCA’s work.

Bellingcat also offers an Auto Archiver tool designed to capture online content before it can be altered, removed, or taken offline, providing another layer of security for digital evidence preservation.

So let's use today's outage event as a cautionary tale. While the Wayback Machine will come back on line.  Do you have a backup in place so you don't lose important records?

By:  Lynda Albertson

Authorities Probe Theft of Ancient Statues from National Museum of Damascus

In a troubling incident for Syria’s cultural heritage, thieves broke into the National Museum of Damascus on Sunday night. Authorities closed the museum in Damascus briefly in the early hours of the investigation. 

Quoting unnamed sources from Syria’s Directorate‐General for Antiquities and Museums, journalist Mohamed Al-Saloum said the theft was discovered early Monday morning.  One source reported the break had affected the museum’s classical department where at least six statues dating back to the Roman era were taken but for the present details on what the stolen pieces were have not yet been disclosed.  Other news sources stated that gold artefacts were targeted. 

Issuing a statement via Syrian state media Brig. Gen. Osama Mohammad Khair Atkeh, head of Damascus’s internal security forces, stated that an investigation had been initiated into the theft, which targeted "a number of archaeological statues and rare collectibles."

Likewise, in its official statement Syria's Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums, under the direct supervision of the Minister of Culture, Muhammad Yassin Al-Saleh, the DGAM stated that the government, in coordination with the relevant security authorities, has launched an official investigation,but did not confirm what objects had been stolen from the museum's collection. 

The National Museum houses artefacts spanning Syria’s rich past spanning over 11 millennia, including artworks from the Hellenistic (333 - 64 BCE), Roman (64 BCE - 365 CE) and Byzantine (395 - 632 CE) eras.  Among the antiquities on display are murals from the 2nd century Dura-Europos in Syria’s east, textiles from central Palmyra and statues of the Greek goddess of victory from the south.

The museum had only recently reopened to the public on 8 January of this year, after being closed in the lead up to Damascus falling to rebel factions, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), on 8 December 2024. That event also marked the departure of Syria’s former president, Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia, bringing an end to his family’s nearly 54-year rule. Unlike many other Syrian heritage sites, the museum had remained untouched by looting throughout the country's civil war. 

This weekend's theft represents more than just a loss of objects.  It strikes at the heart of Syria’s efforts to preserve and restore its cultural identity after years of conflict. Well documented, the stolen works from the collection may be difficult to sell. 

The event stands as a reminder of the persistent threat to heritage institutions in transitional societies and the urgent need for renewed attention to cultural security. 

From Cairo to Barcelona to The Hague: How One Dealer’s Footprint Lingers in Repatriation Cases

TEFAF Maastricht 2022
Image Credit: ARCA

On 15 April 2024 and 19 April 2024, ARCA published two articles building on an announcement made by Spain's Ministry of the Interior which involved the identification of a looted Egyptian object. That investigation involved the Policía Nacional's Historical Heritage Brigade in collaboration with the Dutch Politie, the expertise of an extremely knowledgeable forensic scholar, and the assistance of a cooperating art gallery. With their combined efforts, the Swiss dealer voluntarily relinquished the suspect antiquity to the Dutch police.

Yesterday, Caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof, in a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, announced that the Netherlands will hand over that same stolen sculpture by the end of the year.

Too frequently, antiquities restitution reporting becomes formulaic, providing only cursory information on an object's country of origin, value, age, and the agencies responsible for its seizure or restitution. This happened once again in this case, where one Dutch article reduced the historic object to its most basic description, “a 3,500-year-old stone head from the dynasty of Pharaoh Thutmose III,” followed by a brief paragraph speculating that the piece might be put on display at Egypt's the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which officially opened yesterday.

Basic shapes of block statues

In this kind of reportage, the significance of the artefact takes second place to the spectacle of international cultural diplomacy. We miss the opportunity to emphasise that, despite regulations, investigations, and cooperating dealers, illicit antiquities continue to enter the licit ancient art market, and that it can take years, in this case from 2020 to 2025, to correct the wrongs involved in their circulation.

ARCA, being a research-based organisation which specifically examines  crimes that impact art and artefacts, does its best to provide more details to problematic pieces and the problematic dealers that profit from them. Our reporting serves as a means of holding people accountable and reminding individuals of the need to collect responsibly. 

The artefact being returned is not just an Egyptian "head".  It is a decapitated head broken off of an 18th Dynasty Egyptian block statue that was likely intentionally hacked off its body, or deliberately broken at the shoulders for ease of smuggling. Had it been intact, this memorial statue would have shown a man crouched and wrapped in a cloak, inscribed, at the very least with the name of the owner, incised on the body, the base, or the back pillar if one existed. 

Our original reporting touched on what we were able to ascertain about this disembodied head of a squatting man. We knew he was documented on social media sites and came up for sale through a Swiss-based art dealer during the short-lived European Fine Art Fair in 2020 and again with this same dealer when the fair reopened post-Covid in 2022.  Having been the subject of a joint-European policing initiative we know that authorities were convinced he was illegally exported from Egypt in contravention of the country's cultural property laws, then transited through intermediaries in Thailand before being first put up for sale in Barcelona, where it was sold by controversial gallery owner, Jaume Bagot Peix, of J. Bagot Arqueología.

As early as 2015 Bagot's problematic purchasing had placed him on the radar of Policía Judicial y de la UCIE de la Comisaría General de Información.  In 2018, he and Oriol Carreras Palomar were formally charged for their alleged participation in a crime of financing terrorism, belonging to a criminal organisation, concealment of contraband, and use of forgery for their roles in facilitating the sale of illicit antiquities involving pieces trafficked from a second war torn country, Libya.  

Bagot also was charged, and subsequently convicted in Italy, related to a stolen Roman statue and has been linked to a stolen Egyptian ushabti from Sudan, which was again circulated on the art market with falsified provenance documentation. That artefact was sold to the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in the Netherlands.  

But despite being suspected of trafficking material from at least three war-torn countries, and having one conviction in mainland Europe while other cases in other jurisdictions pile up, Bagot continues to receive favourable coverage in the press and has been described as operating "one of the most renowned ancient art galleries in Spain."  He also continues to be granted booths and promotion by Spain's Feriarte, an important annual art fair held at IFEMA Madrid, most recently from 18 to 26 October 2025, as well as at ANTIK Almoneda, another Madrid art sales event held from 22 to 30 March 2025.

All this demonstrates how long justice can take. In this Dutch restitution, it will have required five years from this objects initial sighting and identification at TEFAF in 2020 until its ultimate return to Egypt later this year and even longer for these problematic Spanish dealers to face the consequences of their actions. This case, like a second Bagot-related case in Belgium involving the the recent restitution of the Egyptian coffin of Pa-di-Hor-pa-khered, which was stolen from an archaeological site in Egypt in December 2015 and restituted in July 2025 both serve as reminders that restitution is not simply a bureaucratic exercise; it is a fight against a global market that too often rewards negligence and turns a blind eye to complicity. 

Until the art trade adopts a genuine commitment to better behaviour, transparency and due diligence, and holds its art market actors accountable, the cycle of loss, recovery, protracted restitution, and delayed accountability will continue, slowly, one object at a time.

Two Charged in Louvre Jewel Heist as France Faces a Wave of Violent Robberies

French authorities have formally charged two more individuals in connection with the October 19, 2025 robbery of royal jewels from the Galerie d’Apollon at the Louvre Museum. Of the five people taken into custody on October 29, two face criminal charges; the other three have been released pending further investigation. 

The first of the newly charged suspects is a 38-year-old woman, indicted for “complicity in robbery committed by an organised gang” and “criminal association with a view to preparing the crime of robbery by an organised gang.” Presented to the court as "afraid" for her children and herself, through her attorney she has denied the charges. 

 The judge of freedoms and detention (JLD) ordered that she remain in custody for now, stating: 

“I do not rule out reassessing the situation, but I want the versions to be cross-checked. The ball is in the lady’s court. Her word will be decisive on the possibility of release under judicial supervision. If it does not lead to anything, we will draw conclusions.”

Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau revealed on November 2 that DNA recovered from the gondola lift used by the robbers matches the woman's genetic profile. 

The second suspect is a 37-year-old man, charged with “organised robbery and conspiracy to commit organised robbery.” He has requested a deferred hearing and remains in custody pending that session. Prosecutors say both of these suspects were previously known to law enforcement, as each had been tried together for a robbery in 2015, suggesting a prior relationship or at least collaboration in other criminal activity.

While still reeling from the Louvre jewel heist, a second high-profile daylight robbery occurred in the city of Lyon. 

According to the Prefect of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, on October 30, barely a week after the €88 million Louvre Museum jewel theft in Paris, heavily armed men stormed the Laboratoire Pourquery, a facility dealing in precious metals, in another spectacular, though more violent, daytime robbery in France.

Video footage published on the social media site X, taken by witnesses at around 2 p.m., from a neighbouring company shows multiple suspects, dressed in black coveralls with red arm bands, as the crime was getting underway.  Brandishing what appears to be military-grade weapons, the suspects can be seen calmly walking back and forth beside a white van equipped with a blue flashing light which they had parked outside the rear of the laboratory. 

One of the suspects can be seen calmly tossing a ladder over the fence while another detonates an explosive device, blowing out two security windows in the laboratory and injuring five employees. Witnesses reported hearing the explosions as well as possible shots fired from various locations in the district of Gerland, the 7th arrondissement along the River Rhône, where the business is located.

Once the thieves gained entry to the targeted building, the witness video shows one of the accomplices scaling the supplied ladder and throwing parcels back over the fence while another loaded a black case containing gold ingots into the vehicle before the thieves fled the scene. The delivery van was found burned less than two kilometres from the site of the robbery, where the perpetrators switched to a getaway car.

While the thieves may have thought they got away, driving back to a property in Vénissieux to divide the loot, officers of the Lyon (Rhône) Research and Intervention Brigade (BRI) were actually already on their tail. The investigative team had them under surveillance in relation to an earlier robbery that also involved explosives. Hours of surveillance and stakeouts in connection with the first theft and preplanning of this second assault, culminated in a search and seizure team being formed to enter  the property.

The police subsequently entered the home via the garage and found the five perpetrators in an apartment on the upper floors, some of whom had tried to escape via the balconies but were apprehended without shots being fired. One accomplice, a young woman suspected of having dropped off a lookout before the robbery, was also taken into custody. 

At the scene, police recovered weapons, detonators, armed explosive devices, a large sum of cash and the €12 million in gold stolen from the Laboratoire Pourquery.  An additional search of a storage unit in Décines led to the recovery of additional weapons, ammunition, a bulletproof vest and a money counter, which tends to indicate the payout for thefts the team was involved with were high.  

Of the suspects described, four are said to be seasoned criminals in their thirties and forties, including one who was already sentenced to ten years in prison for armed robbery. One was wanted in connection with the double murder of the Abdelli brothers, who were gunned down by a burst of automatic gunfire in February 2016 in the Buers district of Villeurbanne, a city bordering Lyon. The murdered brothers, Omar, 34, and Lakdar, 37, were implicated in a murky drug case dating back to December 2012, which is still under investigation.

I mention this non art-related crime here to show the high steaks involved in gold and jewellery thefts.  The criminals involved in these types of activities, risking long  incarcerations if caught, are not always the gentile Thomas Crowne Affair types portrayed in films.  

It is vital to remember that while much of the focus on these thedts falls on the dazzling value of the stolen objects, the jewel-encrusted tiaras, historic necklaces of French royalty, and the multi-million-euro losses, the real stakes in violent robberies includes more than just gold and jewellery. For museum staff and first-responder security guards and room watchers at institutions like the Louvre, their foremost responsibility has to be protecting human life. 

When criminal operations escalate, using heavy equipment, angle grinders, or sledge hammers while masquerading as legitimate workers, the threat they pose is real. A museum guard’s role is not only to safeguard art when and how they can but to prevent lives being harmed. These heists are not glamorous set-pieces from a film; they can also carry the potential for deadly violence. As we follow the investigations, the message must be clear: in high-stakes robberies such as these, vigilance, strong protocol and awareness that human safety comes first are not optional, they are imperative.

By.  Lynda Albertson