Museum heists have turned more violent, with thieves hired on social media, Europol says

BRUSSELS — Art thieves in Europe are committing more violent robberies focusing on gold ​and jewels, and specialist gangs have been replaced by ad-hoc opportunists recruited through social media, Europol said on Monday.

The heist at the Louvre Museum ‌in Paris in October last year was a prime example of these shifts, Europol said, as the ⁠thieves threatened guards and visitors, and stole €88 ​million worth of jewels such as ⁠Empress Eugenie's tiara.

Over the last two years, art thieves have shifted their attention to ‌precious metals, jewels and ‌cultural artifacts that offer greater profits, the EU's law enforcement agency ⁠said in a report.

The price of gold has ⁠surged 85% over the past two years, as investors and central banks turn to the metal as a safe haven. The London Bullion Market Association, which oversees London's over-the-counter gold trading hub, has warned that "as gold prices rise to historic levels, illicit flows and market distortions are also increasing."

Europol said: "offenders are ‌breaching premises and display cases using tools such as ​sledgehammers, axes, crowbars and, in some instances, explosives."

Where traditional gangs used "deception and stealth", had a central leader and niche expertise, recent thefts were carried out by a decentralized ad-hoc group of profit-seeking opportunists, recruited through social media on a "crime-as-a-service" basis, it said.

Europol added thieves were increasingly targeting gold items from nuggets and coins to jewels.

"Precious metals can be easily melted down, leaving no trace for ​law enforcement, and facilitating illicit sales during the fencing process. Precious stones in jewelery, on ‌the other hand, ‌can be ⁠easily removed and sold further," the report said.

In January last year, thieves used explosives to steal a 2,500-year-old Dacian golden helmet and three ancient gold bracelets from a museum in the Netherlands. The artifacts were later recovered and returned to Romania, although ‌one bracelet is still missing.

Europol ​also noted an increase in thefts of ancient ‌Chinese porcelain artifacts such as ⁠Ming Dynasty vases ​due to high demand.

Contributing: Polina Devitt

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