Dutch Court Sentences Three Men to 47 Months Each for Museum Theft of Romanian Artifacts, Grants Reductions After Partial Recovery

Three men were each sentenced to 47 months in prison on Friday, June 5, 2026, for stealing the Cotofenesti helmet and three golden bracelets from the Drents Museum in Assen, Netherlands. The Northern Netherlands District Court said the three men, whose identities were withheld under Dutch privacy rules, warranted custodial sentences “because of the nature and gravity” of their crime.

The artifacts, on loan from Romania for an exhibition, were taken in January 2025.

Security video showed three people using a large crowbar to open a museum door, followed by an explosion from a homemade firework bomb and sledgehammer used to break in. The helmet and two of the bracelets were recovered earlier in 2026 after prosecutors reached a deal with two of the thieves who helped facilitate the return in exchange for a lower sentencing demand.

The third bracelet remains missing.

Judges reduced sentences for all three defendants, stating that they all should “profit from the return of the treasures,” even though only two assisted with recovery. 6 million) but added that “the importance and value of objects like these cannot be expressed in money. ” The recovered artifacts have been returned to Romania.

A file photo of the 2,500-year-old Cotofenesti helmet was taken on April 2, 2026, during a press conference in Assen.