A month after the gold theft at the Paris Natural History Museum, which drew attention once again to the theft of jewels at the Louvre Museum, a Chinese woman has been charged today (October 21) with stealing historical and scientific gold from the museum. Authorities are calling this a case of organized crime, with an ongoing international investigation.
This theft occurred on September 16, just over a month after the daring jewelry theft at the world-famous Louvre Museum that took place on Sunday (October 19).
The Paris prosecutor’s office stated in a release on Tuesday (October 21) that a 24-year-old Chinese woman was apprehended on September 30 in Barcelona, Spain, for allegedly breaking into the French Natural History Museum and stealing gold. The suspect was transferred to French authorities by Spain on October 13 and charged with theft and criminal conspiracy.
On the day of the incident, the woman had already left France and was attempting to return to China when she was arrested while trying to deal with nearly a kilogram of melted gold.
The woman’s identity, birthplace, and profession have not been disclosed yet. Police suspect this to be an organized crime case, with a transnational investigation underway.
The stolen items include gold nuggets donated by Bolivia in the 18th century, gold nuggets from the Ural region of Russia gifted by the Russian monarch Nicholas I in 1833, gold nuggets from the California Gold Rush era, and a five-kilogram gold nugget discovered in Australia in 1990.
Prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated that nearly six kilograms of native gold were stolen, with an estimated total loss of €1.5 million (US$1.7 million), emphasizing the “invaluable” historical and scientific value of the stolen precious metals.
A spokesperson for the museum mentioned that the stolen gold samples from the national collection hold immeasurable cultural heritage value.
Native gold is a metal alloy containing naturally unrefined gold and silver.
On the morning of September 16, the museum director received a report from a cleaner indicating that something was amiss as the displayed gold nuggets were missing.
Investigations revealed that two doors of the museum were cut with an angle grinder, showcase glass was burnt with a torch. Nearby, tools including a torch, grinder, screwdriver, gas cylinders for the torch, and several saws were found.
CCTV footage showed a suspect entering the Natural History Museum in the early hours of September 16, leaving around 4 a.m.
Mobile tracking revealed the suspect to be a Chinese woman intending to flee to China after leaving France on the same day. When apprehended in Barcelona, she was found handling nearly a kilogram of melted gold. Authorities are investigating whether this gold is part of the stolen loot.
In France, organized theft could lead to a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
In recent times, museums in France have frequently become targets for theft.
The jewelry heist at the Louvre on October 19 sparked global uproar and scrutiny, raising serious questions about the security measures protecting French art, especially with criminal groups increasingly targeting museums.
French Minister of Interior Laurent Nunez said that the major armed robbery at the Louvre unveiled “significant security issues” within France’s museum system.
Prior to the jewelry theft at the Louvre, staff had raised concerns about security vulnerabilities. A security personnel at the Louvre informed Sky News that outdated equipment and significant staff cuts had pushed their limits in protecting the renowned museum.
A French audit report highlighted that only about one-third of the Louvre’s exhibition halls had surveillance cameras and that the security system was severely outdated.
Furthermore, on September 4, the National Museum Adrien Dubouché in Limoges, central France, faced a theft where three precious Chinese porcelain pieces were stolen, estimated at €6.5 million.
In November last year, four men armed with an axe and baseball bat broke into the Musée Cognacq-Jay in Paris during the day, smashing display cabinets and stealing several 18th-century artworks.
The following day, a museum in the southern department of Indre-et-Loire also fell victim to an armed robbery, with millions of euros worth of jewelry taken.
These security loopholes highlight the widespread issue of “weak museum security in France.”