Motorcycle gang involved in theft of Romania's Dacian gold treasure, Dutch press says

Hardliners, a banned motorcycle gang from the Netherlands, is allegedly involved in the theft of the Dacian gold bracelets and helmet loaned by Romania to the Drents Museum, according to RTL Nieuws. Sources in the criminal world and around the police investigation told the Dutch journalists that the art theft, committed in January of this year, was conducted on behalf of the Romanian underworld.

After the theft, Dutch police focused on Heerhugowaard in North Holland and the surrounding area. Officers raided homes and storage spaces there and arrested seven suspects, including Douglas W. (36), Bernhard Z. (35) and Jan B. (20). Each was reportedly recruited by members of the Hardliners and promised EUR 15,000 per person.

The order for the art theft would come from Romania, sources told RTL Nieuws independently of each other. According to this scenario, the objects were stolen as bargaining chips to help a Romanian criminal avoid a prison sentence. This person would want to return the helmet and the bracelets in exchange for a reduction or cancellation of his sentence. RTL Nieuws has not heard which criminal it would concern.

If true, this would mean that the irreplaceable 2,500-year-old Dacian helmet was not melted down for gold, as feared. "It is probably somewhere near Heerhugowaard, rolled up in a towel,” a source told RTL Nieuws.

Dutch prosecutors refused to comment on the scenario involving a Romanian buyer or the involvement of the Hardliners motorcycle gang. Defense attorneys similarly turned down the opportunity to comment.

The motorcycle club Hardliners was founded in 2019 in the Zaanstad prison, north of Amsterdam. The original members were reportedly previous members of the banned club Hells Angels.

Over the years, members of the motorcycle club have been convicted of several criminal offenses, such as extortion, arson and assault. In March 2024, the motorcycle club was banned by the court.

Several archaeological pieces from the Dacia - Empire of Gold and Silver exhibition showcasing Dacian treasures from Romania were stolen after an explosion at the Drents Museum in the Netherlands on the night of January 24 to 25. Among them, the famous golden Helmet of Coțofenești, c.a. 450 BC, which belonged to the National History Museum of Romania, and three Dacian bracelets.

The theft