Forty-eight works of religious art reportedly stolen from churches in northern Portugal have been recovered as part of Europe’s “Pandora VII” operation, the European agency Europol revealed this Thursday.
In a statement, Europol said the “48 religious sculptures and other religious artifacts” recovered during the European operation are linked to “a series of 15 robberies in churches in northern Portugal between 1992 and 2003”.
An official judicial police source contacted by the Lusa agency said it did not have more information about the operation in a timely manner.
According to Europol, “Operation Pandora VII”, led by Spain’s Guardia Civil, took place in 2022, involving 14 countries, arresting 60 people and recovering 1,049 artifacts and works of art.
The study will run between May and October “with more than 8,495 checks carried out ‘online’ and 4,017 stolen goods seized” and were held in September “several thousand checks at airports, ports and border crossings, but also at auction houses, museums and private homes”refers to Europol.
According to the same organization, about 130 investigations are still ongoing.
In addition to the 48 sacred works of art recovered in Portugal, the operation has also enabled, among other things, the recovery of 77 ancient books in Italy and more than 3,000 ancient coins in an ‘online’ sale by the Polish authorities.
“Operation Pandora”, aimed at combating the criminal activities of theft, trafficking and addiction to works of art and cultural goods, was launched in 2016.
Source: DN
