Stolen Romanian gold artifacts likely intact; One suspect emerges as mastermind
Prosecutors in the Netherlands said in court on Friday that they believe the Romanian gold artifacts stolen from the Drents Museum in January are still intact and have not been melted down. The four Dacian era treasures were likely stashed somewhere to be sold later, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said during the first public hearing against two key suspects, Bernhard Z. (35) and Douglas Chesley W. (36) from Heerhugowaard. Another individual in the case, Jan B., alleged that Douglas Chesley W. was the mastermind behind the burglary at the Assen museum. Both Z. and W. were ordered by the District Court in Noord-Nederland to remain in pre-trial detention for at least another 90 days at the conclusion of Friday’s short hearing.
According to the OM, these two men and a 20-year-old Jan B., also from Heerhugowaard, committed the robbery on 25 January 2025. They detonated a firework bomb to get into the museum and stole three gold bracelets and the Helmet of Cotofenesti.
Jan B. was arrested much later than the other two suspects because the police deployed undercover agents to try and find out from him where the treasures were. B. told the agents that he, W., and Z. carried out the heist. He said W. was the mastermind who planned and arranged everything, and that he “stashed” the treasures after the robbery to sell them later, the OM revealed.
According to the OM, there is an abundance of evidence proving that these men stole the Romanian treasures from the Drents Museum. Clothing with DNA traces of several of the suspects was found in a garbage container in Assen. Glass particles that “most likely came from the blown-up glass door and two display cases in the Drents Museum” were also found on the clothing. There is also video footage showing Jan B. buying the sledgehammer and dead-blow hammer used in the robbery.
So far, the suspects have refused to make statements to the police. “That is their right, but the ball is now in their court,” the OM said. If the treasures are not recovered, the OM will claim their insurance value from the suspects. “Given the scale of this, it could mean that they will be heavily in debt for the rest of their lives.”
The investigation is still ongoing. In addition to the three main suspects, four other people are also suspects in this case. “They played a supporting role in the art theft to a greater or lesser extent,” the OM said. They have been released from custody, but remain suspects.
The next hearing is scheduled for July 30. Then, the suspicions against Jan B. will also be discussed in public for the first time. He was remanded into custody for 90 days earlier this week.
