Georgians used a cunning exchange trick to steal 2.5 million euros worth of antique books

In 2022 and 2023, libraries in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Switzerland were robbed. The loot, worth around 2.5 million euros, included first editions of Alexander Pushkin and Nikolai Gogol. The book thieves probably auctioned off some works in St. Petersburg and Moscow, meaning they were “effectively lost forever,” Europol said.

The thieves posed in libraries as academics who wanted to view the books for scientific research. They used forged identification cards and pseudonyms. When they gained access to the valuable edition, they carefully measured the book and took photographs. Armed with this information, they subsequently fabricated highly accurate replicas.

On a subsequent visit to the library, sometimes months later, they asked to study the work again. This time they did not return the book itself, but the replica. According to experts, the counterfeits were of excellent quality. The exchange trick was not used in all cases, ‘ordinary’ burglaries were also used to steal the books.

One of the targets was the University of Warsaw. In November last year, the university announced that around eighty Russian 19th-century books, worth half a million euros, had been stolen. The case came to light when a reader found empty covers and blank pages instead of eight books. The theft cost library director Anna Wolodka her job; she was accused of negligence.

Up to ten years in prison

Europol took action after a message from the French authorities. When it became apparent that similar thefts were occurring in many European countries, a joint investigation was launched.

This week, four suspects were arrested in a joint operation by police forces in Georgia and Latvia. Previously, five other people involved were arrested in Estonia, France and Lithuania. All suspects have Georgian nationality.

If found guilty, they face six to 10 years in prison, the Georgia Public Prosecutor’s Office reported. 150 antique books were seized during 27 house searches. The provenance of these books is now being established, but at least one copy of the loot from the National Library of France has already been recovered.