The police made a dozen arrests in the Lyon region in early December. They also arrested Belgian-based Dutch antique dealer Martens Cornelius who is thought to have masterminded the network, and an Italian trucker who admitted making 40 trips between Lyon and Rétie in Belgium since 1998. The stolen goods were reportedly sold in the US, Japan, Italy and Holland.
Police have recovered art and antiques worth an estimated Fr120m ($16m) and the items will be displayed on the French Gendarmerie’s Website in early 2001.
Art crime gang rounded up
FRANCE: Following a two-year investigation, French police have rounded up a gypsy gang responsible for hundreds of thefts from châteaux and private homes, many in Normandy and the Paris area.
