Dutch police used undercover cops in the investigation into the theft of Romanian treasures from the Drents Museum in Assen in January Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reports.
Two secret agents approached the suspect to try and find out where the stolen gold helmet and bracelets are, sources close to the investigation told the Telegraaf. The suspect was arrested on April 23, and the treasures are still missing.
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) refused to comment to the Telegraaf. The first hearing in this case is happening on Friday.
According to the Telegraaf, the police deployed two undercover cops, one of the most serious investigative tools the police can use, in March. The operation aimed to get a suspect to talk.
The undercover cops decided to target Jan B., he was recorded in a DIY store in Assen, buying the sledgehammers used to smash the cases in the museum. The agents first approached B.’s brother as he left a supermarket. They pretended to be intermediaries for a party abroad wanting to buy the stolen art pieces. They said they knew that his brother, Jan B., was involved in the theft, and gave the brother 500 euros and a phone to pass on to Jan B.
The phone put them in direct contact with Jan B. The agents gave him 5,000 euros, and B. told them that the stolen treasures still existed, but he did not know where they were because he had not been able to contact the main suspects. The two are still in restricted custody and not allowed contact with anyone except their lawyers.
The cops offered B. 400,000 euros for the treasures. B. said that it was too little. He suddenly broke off contact in mid-April.
The Dutch justice department said from the start of the investigation that retrieving the stolen Romanian treasures was the main goal.
Main Image: A golden helmet stolen from the Drents Museum in Assen, 25 January 2025
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
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