Three men jailed over Drents Museum heist of Romanian golden helmet and bracelets

A Dutch court convicted three men to 47 months in prison each for stealing the Coțofenești Helmet and three Dacian gold bracelets, objects belonging to Romania’s cultural heritage that had been loaned to the Drents Museum in Assen for a major exhibition.

The three men, identified as Jan B. (21), Douglas Chesley W. (37), and Bernhard Z. (35), were prosecuted for theft and destruction of museum property. “Given the nature and seriousness of the offenses, only a severe prison sentence can be imposed,” the Dutch court stated in a press release, cited by Agerpres.

In January 2025, the thieves caused an explosion to gain entry to the Drents Museum and smashed display cases to steal the Coțofenești Helmet, dating from the 4th century BC, and three Dacian gold bracelets, objects of inestimable value. The explosion damaged the museum's premises, but no one was injured.

The theft sparked outrage in Romania and led to a large-scale police search operation to recover the artifacts. Although the three thieves were arrested after a few days, the whereabouts of the loot remained unknown for a long time.

At the beginning of April, Dutch authorities announced that they had reached an agreement with two of the suspects. The third denied any involvement in the burglary.

Thanks to the agreement, Dutch police found the helmet, which had suffered some damage, and two of the three bracelets. The location of the third gold bracelet remains unknown. The artifacts were returned to the collection of the National Museum of Romanian History after their recovery.

Romania had previously received EUR 5.7 million in compensation from the Dutch state following the theft.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos|Vincent Jannink)