Romanian kingpin of rare book thieves behind bars thanks to Italy

A 40-year-old Romanian national, who was wanted by the British authorities since June 2019, was arrested earlier this month in Turin, Italy, by the Italian Carabinieri (Arma dei Carabinieri -Comando Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale). 

The suspect was one of the masterminds behind the theft in 2017 of 260 antique books in the United Kingdom worth an estimated €2 million. These antique books were stored in a warehouse with their owners’ permission, to be shipped for display at a book fair in Los Angeles. The books included rare first edition of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. 

The 15 other members of the criminal organisation to which he belonged were arrested earlier last year in a coordinated operation between the British Metropolitan Police, the Romanian National Police (Poliția Română) and the Italian Carabinieri, supported by Europol and Eurojust.