British police recover stolen Ming dynasty vase worth US$2.5 million
- London police and Swiss authorities smashed a criminal ring believed to have stolen the artefact from a Geneva museum in 2019
- The lucrative market for stolen Chinese antiquities has led to several high-profile heists in recent years
A sting operation at a London hotel helped authorities recover a 15th-century Chinese vase worth about 2 million pounds (US$2.5 million) and break up the criminal ring believed to have stolen the artefact from a Swiss museum, British police said on Saturday.
The vase, which dates to the Yongle period of the Ming dynasty, was one of three items stolen from the Museum of Far Eastern Art in Geneva in 2019.
The Metropolitan Police Service made the announcement after a London court on Friday found two men guilty of charges related to the gang’s effort to sell the vase. A third man pleaded guilty to similar charges earlier this year, and two other men who were arrested in London are awaiting trial in Switzerland for their alleged role in the burglary. All five are from southeast London.
“The organised crime group involved in this offending believed they could commit significant offences internationally and that there would be no comeback,’’ said Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb, from the Met’s Specialist Crime unit.
“They were mistaken, highlighting the strength of our relations with international law enforcement partners and our ability to work across international boundaries.”
London police said they worked with Swiss authorities on the investigation after an auction house alerted them that someone had emailed them seeking a valuation for the stolen vase.
