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(Kitco News) -
German police arrested four individuals on Tuesday suspected of stealing a massive trove of ancient gold coins from a museum in southern Germany, according to a report from the Associated Press. They later announced that they also recovered some gold which is believed to have come from the historical treasure.
The gold coins, which are over 2100 years old, were stolen on Nov. 22 from the Celtic and Roman Museum in Manching, a city just north of Munich. They were discovered in 1999 during archaeological excavations of an ancient settlement. At the time they were found, the 483 coins represented the largest discovery of Celtic gold in over 100 years.
German authorities told AP on Thursday that they found DNA on an object outside the museum following the heist, which they say led them to the individuals. The suspects, a telecoms engineer, an accountant, a shop manager and a demolition firm employee, are all German nationals, and three of them are also suspects in 11 other robberies or attempted robberies between 2014 and 2022, which targeted supermarkets, a vehicle registration office and a casino.
Guido Limmer, the deputy head of Bavaria’s state criminal police office, told reporters in Munich that authorities have examined 18 lumps of gold that were recovered from one of the suspects this week. Limmer said that each lump is believed to contain the gold from four of the ancient coins. He said the non-standard gold alloy largely matches the metal of the treasure, but they are conducting further analysis.
“We know that about 70 gold coins have apparently been lost irretrievably in their cultural and historical significance,” said Markus Blume, Bavaria’s state culture minister. “But that means that, of course, there is still hope of perhaps being able to find the rest of the gold coins, and so the majority of the gold treasure.”
Police were still searching locations in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania where three of the suspects were arrested.
The museum heist appears to have been meticulously thought-out, and seems to have required the special skills of the suspects. German investigators said cables had been cut at a telecommunications hub before the Nov. 22 heist, which knocked out local networks. The thieves then managed to get in and out of the museum in nine minutes without triggering any alarms.
Similar methods and equipment were also used in the 11 other thefts, police said. The thieves wore black overalls and used a radio jammer to disrupt alarm systems, and they also cut phone cables.
Some of the equipment apparently used at the museum and in the other robberies was found during Tuesday’s raids on 28 properties associated with the suspects. Investigators also said vehicles rented this year by the suspects had been used to check out other potential targets in Germany, including other museums in Frankfurt, Idar-Oberstein, Trier and Pforzheim.
At the time of the museum theft, German authorities estimated the value of the 4 kilograms of coins at several million euros. “As a testament to our history, the gold coins are irreplaceable,” said Blume at the time. “The loss of the Celtic treasure is a disaster.”
On Wednesday, a judge ordered that they be kept in custody as they await a possible indictment on ‘gang robbery’ charges, which could see them sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. Police said they have refused to give any information to authorities since their arrest.
