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| Some of the artifacts seized in Sofia, Bulgaria, photo, Interpol |
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| Several works of art and large sums of money in Euros seized in Athens |
A Major Breakthrough: 35 Arrests and Over 3,000 Seized Artifacts
Bulgarian authorities announced the results on Thursday, confirming that 131 raids had been carried out across Europe. These included:
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1 search operation in Albania
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120 in Bulgaria
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3 in France
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3 in Germany
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4 in Greece
In total, police seized more than 3,000 artifacts, including gold and silver ancient coins, Thracian and Greco-Roman antiquities, rare weapons, artworks, documents, and electronic devices. Over €50,000 in cash and quantities of investment-grade gold were also confiscated.
Boyan Raev, head of Bulgaria’s General Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime (GDBOP), announced that within just 24 hours:
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35 individuals were arrested
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Thousands of cultural objects were seized, with the total count still increasing
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More than 50 antique weapons and numerous safes, vehicles, and illicit items were discovered
Deputy Prosecutor Angel Kanev stated that the criminal group had operated across Western Europe, the Balkans—including Albania— the United States, and other regions for more than 16 years, accumulating an estimated $1 billion linked to money laundering.
The 2020 Breakthrough That Unraveled the Network
Europol revealed that the case originated in 2020, when Bulgarian authorities raided a house and seized around 7,000 archaeological artifacts of immense historical value. These included rare Thracian relics, ancient masks, military equipment, and jewelry dating back as far as 2000 BCE.
Many of the objects lacked documentation, while others carried suspicious certificates from auction houses and galleries in France, Germany, the UK, and the United States—indicating a well-organized laundering system designed to legitimize stolen cultural heritage.
Since then, the artifacts have been stored at the Bulgarian National History Museum in Sofia pending further investigation.
Albania’s Strategic Role in the Network
Although the largest crackdown occurred in Bulgaria, the operation confirmed that Albania also formed part of the logistics route of the criminal organization. According to the official Europol action report, Albanian territory was used at least for:
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Storing objects temporarily
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Facilitating movement of individuals linked to the network
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Providing access to archaeological sites across the Balkans
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Acting as a transit point for smuggling routes leading toward Western Europe
Given Albania’s rich Illyrian, Greek, and Roman archaeological heritage—and the documented history of illegal excavations in regions such as Shkodra, Korça, Durrës, and the South—the country remains vulnerable to similar trafficking schemes.
This operation serves as a major warning that Albanian cultural heritage is persistently at risk, and the involvement of the territory in this case emphasizes the need for stronger domestic enforcement.
How Europol Connected the International Puzzle
In June 2024, Europol established a specialized operational task force dedicated to this case. The task force facilitated:
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Real-time intelligence sharing
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Cross-border coordination
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Analytical support
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Tracing of suspect financial transactions and artifact movements
On the day of the coordinated raids—19 November 2025—Europol deployed two experts to Sofia to assist in on-site coordination and provide advanced forensic analysis.
This cooperation allowed investigators to link suspects operating in multiple countries, uncover hidden warehouses, and trace artifacts back to illegal excavations in the Balkans.
Why the Balkans and Italy Are Prime Targets
The Balkan Peninsula and Italy are treasure troves of ancient civilizations. Their soil hides:
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Greek colonies
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Roman settlements
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Illyrian and Thracian sites
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Medieval and Byzantine artifacts
This rich historical landscape has long been targeted by criminal groups specializing in digging, stealing, and smuggling valuable antiquities abroad.
The art market—especially at the high-end, international level—is highly vulnerable due to:
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High private collector demand
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Weak provenance verification
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Poor international coordination
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Loopholes in auction certification systems
These vulnerabilities create perfect conditions for organized crime to insert stolen or illicitly acquired artifacts into legitimate markets.
The Bigger Picture: Protecting Cultural Heritage
This operation is a strong reminder that cultural heritage theft is not simply a regional nuisance—it is a global criminal enterprise.
For Albania, the message is even clearer:
Illicit excavations and smuggling networks continue to endanger the country’s historical legacy.
Protecting Albania’s cultural heritage requires:
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Stronger border controls
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Enhanced cooperation with Europol and Interpol
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Stricter regulation of private collections
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Continuous monitoring of archaeological sites
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Public awareness campaigns
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A national digital registry for artifacts
International cooperation remains the only path to dismantle these networks and safeguard the archaeological treasures of the Balkans for future generations.