Art stolen for 300 million euros: the police track it down at fairs, from antique dealers and on the deep web

Over 264 million euros and more than one hundred thousand art assets recovered. These are the 2023 data from the specialized unit of the Carabinieri just published. The operations are all carried out by the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit, made up of art and archeology 007s. Which with increasingly modern and organized systems seeks to protect the immense and often neglected Italian artistic heritage.

The blue helmets of culture

There are the blue helmets of culture who, for example, dealt with the flood emergency in Emilia Romagna and Tuscany, recovering 48,646 ancient books, 6,305 linear meters of archival documentation, 75 paintings and drawings, 22 statues and busts, 265 sculptures of various materials, 147 ancient weapons and related ammunition, 1,114 war relics and various archaeological and anthropological finds; 632 linear meters of archival assets, 9000 photographic negatives and 2 ecclesiastical assets.

The 007s of art and the FBI

Then there are those from the TPC who collaborate with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States. With them they managed to identify, seize and repatriate 1,093 works of art resulting from thefts and clandestine excavations, illicit exports and stolen goods for a total value of hundreds of millions of euros, in addition to the inestimable historical-cultural value. Among these also a marble head depicting the emperor Septimius Severus, from the 2nd century AD, the proceeds of an armed robbery dating back to 18 November 1985 against the Antiquarium of the Campania amphitheater of Santa Maria Capua Vetere (CE). It was found at an auction that was about to be held in New York with a starting price of 600 thousand dollars.

Artificial Intelligence at the service of investigations

There are, again, the Carabinieri who, through the SWOADS (Stolen Works Of Art Detection System) project, an Artificial Intelligence computer system that allows the automatic collection of data and images from the web, deep web and social media, scan the internet and compare the photos of the works to be searched for: in 2023 they monitored over 984 websites and examined 6,674 assets. Recovering 31,689 pieces from websites, of which 18,734 are archival and book assets; 536 archaeological finds; 9,337 numismatic goods; 291 false works; 60 sculptures; 147 paintings. And 101 people reported it.

Fairs and antique dealers

In 2023, 1,957 checks were carried out at antique shops and 624 checks at markets and fairs. 105,474 assets were recovered, including 24,445 archival and bibliographic documents, 1,102 paintings and 369 sculptures. 477 people were reported for receiving stolen goods and 37 for illicit export of goods of cultural interest.

Scavenger hunts

And finally there are the grave robber hunters: in 2023 they reported 130 people for clandestine excavations, recovering 67,963 archaeological finds and 10,273 paleontological finds. Among the operations, the “Canusium” of the TPC Unit of Bari, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Trani, which made it possible to dismantle a criminal association aimed at clandestine excavation, theft, receiving stolen goods and illicit export of archaeological finds and numismatists. During the investigation, a total of 3,586 archaeological, numismatic and ceramic objects of inestimable historical, artistic and commercial value were found and seized in various regions of Italy. 51 individuals were investigated and 21 restrictive measures were issued.

Article 9 of the Constitution

The Specialized Unit of the Force, established in 1969 to honor article 9 of the Italian Constitution (“the Republic protects the landscape and the historical and artistic heritage of the Nation”), in over half a century of life, has returned to the legitimate owners , public and private, more than three million cultural assets.