Trial of major treasure thieves begins in Germany
World
This was the largest find of Celtic gold in the 20th century. The Manching hoard weighed 3.7 kg and consisted of 483 coins, approximately 2100 years old.
The trial of four thieves will begin in three weeks at the Ingolstadt District Court. The accused include a wine merchant from Berlin, a garbage collector, a telecommunications technician, and an accountant. According to the investigation, they were responsible for stealing a treasure worth millions of euros from the Manching Museum. On November 22, 2022, the thieves disabled the alarm system and 14 mobile communication towers, broke into a display case, and in just eight minutes, made off with the ancient coins.
The criminals were identified thanks to DNA traces and their movements in rented vehicles. Further investigation revealed they had also robbed the Trier State Museum, the Idar-Oberstein Gemstone Museum, and the Pforzheim Jewelry Museum. On July 18, 2023, they were arrested while handing over part of the stolen items.
Investigators attempted to recover the stolen gold, but only a small portion was found, and it was in poor condition: some of the coins had been melted down into 18 pieces of gold weighing 500 grams. The accused refuse to disclose the whereabouts of the remaining gold.
The criminals were identified thanks to DNA traces and their movements in rented vehicles. Further investigation revealed they had also robbed the Trier State Museum, the Idar-Oberstein Gemstone Museum, and the Pforzheim Jewelry Museum. On July 18, 2023, they were arrested while handing over part of the stolen items.
Investigators attempted to recover the stolen gold, but only a small portion was found, and it was in poor condition: some of the coins had been melted down into 18 pieces of gold weighing 500 grams. The accused refuse to disclose the whereabouts of the remaining gold.
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