Europol said on Monday, the 24th of August, that art thieves in Europe are committing increasingly violent thefts, with a particular focus on gold and precious stones, and professional gangs have been replaced by random criminals found on social media, Reuters writes.
The robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris in October last year is a clear example of this, Europol said. The robbers threatened visitors and security guards and fled with 88 million euros worth of jewels. According to Europol, art thieves have increasingly turned to jewelry, precious metals and artifacts in the past two years, which bring more profit. In two years, the price of gold has increased by 85%, and investors and banks consider it the safest investment. The London Bullion Market Association has warned that as gold prices rise to historic highs, illegal flows are also increasing and market distortions are being observed.
The Europol report says that offenders are breaking into buildings and stalls using hammers, axes, crowbars and sometimes even explosives. Traditional gangs of robbers used trickery and cunning, had a leader and experts in the field, but recent major robberies have been carried out by random, decentralized groups of individuals who simply take advantage of the opportunity.
Criminals are recruited on social media, and the crime has become a form of service.
Europol added that criminals are increasingly choosing gold, from gold nuggets to coins and jewelry. The report says that precious metals can be easily melted down without leaving any trace of the crime and then sold. In turn, gemstones can be removed from jewelry and broken up to be injected into the market.
Last January, robbers used explosives to steal a 2,500-year-old gold helmet and three antique gold bracelets from a museum in the Netherlands. The artifacts were later recovered and returned to Romania, but one bracelet was never recovered.
Thefts of antique Chinese porcelain have also increased.
Read also: Thefts at British petrol stations rise after the start of Iran war
The post European museum thefts are becoming more violent; perpetrators are recruited on social media appeared first on Baltic News Network.
