INTERPOL and Europol support investigators from 25 countries in the fight against criminals exploiting cultural heritage

LYON, France – The eighth edition of an Operation Pandora saw customs and law enforcement authorities from 25 countries join forces against international art trafficking. Led by the Spanish Guardia Civil, with the support of Europol and INTERPOL, the operation resulted in 85 arrests and the recovery of more than 6,400 cultural goods.

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

Operational highlights

Pandora VIII resulted in the recovery of the following stolen artefacts, among others:

• Spanish National Police collaborated with the Ukrainian National Police to recover 11 gold items valued at more than EUR 60 million. The criminal case involved money laundering and illicit trafficking of archaeological 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 350 objects. The collection consisted of lithic, ceramic and metal pieces from various archaeological periods.
• Romanian Police recovered a wooden iconostasis dated between 1850 and 1880, stolen from a church in Romania and which had been put up for sale online.
• The Bulgarian Customs Agency seized 432 ancient coins from Türkiye and en route for France.
• In two investigations by the Hellenic Police, 43 ancient amphorae were seized and two people arrested.
• After conducting online checks, the Polish National Police located and seized 229 objects in an antique shop. Some of the items were made of ivory, with a total estimated value of EUR 140,000.
• The Italian Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage identified and seized a contemporary painting being sold online. If authenticated, the painting would have been valued at 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 artifacts such as arrowheads and spearheads. The ancient items, stemming from the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods, had been offered for sale online.
• French authorities seized an illegally exported painting by Vietnamese artist Mai Thứ (1906 – 1980) at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. The painting is valued at EUR 167,440.
• In cooperation with national partners, the Czech National Police detected and investigated the sale of several stolen historical objects. Among them was a wooden statue of Saint Bartholomew (dated between 1658 and 1660), which was secured and returned to its original owner. This national cultural artifact had been stolen from the Last Supper Chapel in Římov in 1994 and later sold online.

International cooperation between countries and agencies

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 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 mobile application.

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

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).

Participating countries:

Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Serbia, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

[Source: INTERPOL].