Main suspects in case of Romanian heritage items stolen from Drents museum to remain in jail

The three main suspects in the case of the theft of Romanian heritage objects from the Drents Museum in the Netherlands will remain in pre-trial detention for at least another 90 days, according to a ruling given on Wednesday, July 30.

The suspects were seen by the judge in the second preliminary hearing at the Assen court. At the hearing, prosecutors said that the thieves transported the treasures in a sports bag that was later discarded in a container. Dutch forensic experts found tiny gold particles in the bag, and according to the Public Prosecutor's Office, this indicates that the stolen treasures were placed in that bag.

Also in the bag were clothing items with DNA traces of Douglas Chesley W. and Bernhard Z., as well as shards of glass likely from the museum.

The Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office believes that the main suspects failed to sell the treasures on the black market and are keeping them hidden. If the theory proves to be true, the artifacts stolen earlier this year could still be recovered.

Of the three suspects in this case, two of them, Douglas Chesley W. and Jan B., were present in court on Wednesday. The third, Bernhard Z., was not present. The prosecution is firmly convinced that they were in the museum at the time of the theft.

During the hearing, Chesley W. had an outburst of anger against co-defendant Jan B., notes RTV Drenthe. “It’s hard for me to have him next to me; I can barely hold back. I’d like to slap him a few times,” he said. When the judge asked Jan B. if he felt threatened, he replied that he did not wish to answer.

At the previous hearing in May, the case against Jan B. had not yet been presented. He allegedly confessed to undercover agents that he committed the theft together with the other two. He also allegedly said that Douglas Chesley W. was the mastermind behind the entire operation and that he later left alone with the art objects to store them somewhere, intending to sell them later.

During the court hearing, it was revealed that Jan B.'s DNA was found on a crowbar found in the exhibition hall of the Drents Museum.

The next hearing will take place in October, when it will decide whether four other suspects, a woman and three men from Heerhugowaard and Alkmaar, will also be prosecuted. The prosecution hopes to be able to examine the merits of the case in the second quarter of 2026.