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| Thracian rider and assorted tat |
A criminal network has been under investigatation or the trafficking of cultural goods, involving antiquities allegedly loted from countries across the Balkans
()/p>Europol press release: '
35 arrests in Bulgaria in a large art trafficking investigation',
20 Nov 2025
On 19 November 2025, a coordinated effort led by Bulgarian authorities and supported by Europol, resulted in the dismantling of a criminal network involved in large-scale trafficking of cultural goods across Europe and beyond. This operation was conducted under the framework of a Europol operational taskforce. The action day involved law enforcement and judicial authorities from Albania, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The operational actions during this day were coordinated from coordination centres in Sofia, Bulgaria, and at Eurojust. Investigative activities are still ongoing.
The investigation began after a house raid conducted in 2020 in Bulgaria, where authorities seized about 7 000 cultural artifacts [...] primarily Greco-Roman and Thracian antiquities [...]. The lack of clear provenance documentation for many of these items, established by the Bulgarian authorities at the time, raised suspicions of illegal acquisition. Since their seizure, the artifacts have been housed in the Bulgarian National History Museum in Sofia pending further investigation.[...] Results from the action day on 19 November 2025
35 arrests in Bulgaria
131 searches including houses, vehicles and bank safes searched (1 in Albania, 120 in Bulgaria, 3 in France, 3 in Germany, 4 in Greece)
Seizures include over 3 000 artefacts (antique golden and silver coins and other antiquities) with an estimated value of over EUR 100 million, artworks, weapons, documents, electronic equipment, over EUR 50 000 in cash, and investment gold
That's what the text says, but the pictures show an inexplicable collection of tat, like you can pick up at any flea marerket all across Europe. Old pocket watches, modern gold chains, cigarette cases, a brass door key, a keyring with what I guess possibly is a piece of iron meteorite on it. Another shows some over-cleaned vintage revolvers with the markings almost buffed off and replica percussion lock pistol. Then there is 'money shot' of a load of old coins, many in holders and slabs - among which can - despite the police efforts to produce the muddiest out of focus effect in their photography - be seen those of western European and US sellers: HD Rauch, Künker, Classical Numismatics, Roman Numismatics, one of the several "GN coins", Classical Numismatics Group, and one I cannot immediately identify. In none of the photos are any coins idenytifiable, there are a lot of gold(coloured) ones - nothing visibly ancient or medieval.
The first photo shows a set of photos of the front of a carved stone plaque of unknown size and thickness. This represents a hellenistic or Roman period "Thracian rider" plaque. Again the police photographer had his mud-filter on, so the inscription is unclear and pixellated, so it's difficult to know what alphabet it is in. Possibly it is in Latin script (??...]ISKO[T U/A D ] C A [ R?....??). Behind the horse is a small standing figure holding something, in fronnt of the horse are two hooded women. The rider has an improbably bushy hairstyle. Despite the ugly but even paytch of dark earth-staining across the front, conveniently higfhlighting the design, to my eye, the outlining of the figure is too 'wooden', looking lkike somebody has copied a pattern. This could be just poor ancient craftsmanship, but I am not convinced that it would look more authentic in the hand.
In the same photo to the left of the picture there is a single ancient coin, quite large and thick, only the reverse is shown, showing a chariot going left, a dolphin below. It is rather worn. It looks like a tetradrachm of Syracuse (Sicily), of a type mostly struck under Dionysios I (Circa 405-400 BC). These are pretty pricy coins - better quality coins with better centring
are on Coin Archives for 4-6 thousand USD. The fuzzy photogaphy does not help diagnose what we are looking at, if I had it in my hand, I'd be looking at that striking flwa five o'clock, is it split or cast? I'd be looking at the way the raised portions of the design are separated - as if they were struck from a flat-faced die, or whether the metal was cast into a hollow mould - one would give a sharper distiction between design and background, the other a 'soapy' appearance. Looking at the fuzz-photo, it seems to me more likely that what is behind the fuzz is a cast coin and not a struck one. Though if the photo had been better I'd be more positive on what it could be.
The only artefact that seems at all interesting is the silver-coloured fragment in a plastic bag to the left of the tetra. Again the photo skilfully (or skillessly) says less about the object than it reveals. It seems to be a fragment of a larger convex decorated item with a beaded rim. It reminds me of a medieval ('Viking') tortoise brooch. In which case it would be well out of place as a balkans find - but pefectly in line for being an internet purchase.
The primary High-Value Target (HVT) in this case is suspected of financing illegal excavations across Bulgaria and neighbouring Balkan countries. Local looters, allegedly working for middlemen acting on behalf of the HVT, are believed to have been involved in the illicit operations. The art collection seized in 2020 includes unique items, some of them dating back to 2000 BC, such as masks, military equipment, jewellery, vases, rhytons and cups from Thracian and Greco-Roman civilizations. Most of the artefacts had no provenance documentation, while only a few had questionable ones issued by auction houses and art galleries worldwide, primarily based in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Nothing shown in their press release or the pathetically dramatic photo of "raids" by armed cops of houses, a dacha and a churchyard? is anything like "2000BC", they show no "vases, rhytons and cups from Thracian and Greco-Roman civilizations". Nothing like that.
On the action day, Europol deployed two experts to Sofia, Bulgaria, to support the coordination of the activities across borders and to provide analytical support and expertise.
I'd love to know their names if they signed off on this one.
The second part of the video shows a house filled with antiques (and "antiques") and collectables. The collector had a bit of a hoarding problem, and a very eclectic taste (and a dubious one - though a couple of the paintings I quite liked). Most of the material we see the policemen rummaging through (wearing NO GLOVES) is mass-produced flea-market stuff.
As for "only a few had questionable [provenance documentation] issued by auction houses and art galleries worldwide, primarily based in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States", one wonders how far they will be "questioning" that. But of course that is something different from buying directly from looters.
