Three men sentenced to 47 months each for stealing 2,500-year-old Romanian golden helmet from Dutch museum

A Dutch court handed down sentences of three years and eleven months to three men for the theft of the Coțofenești helmet, a 2,500-year-old artefact considered a Romanian national treasure. The men used explosives to break into the Drents Museum in Assen in January 2025, taking the helmet and three gold bracelets from the 'Dacia – the Empire of Gold and Silver' exhibition.

The sentencing

All three defendants received the same 47-month sentence. The court stated that only a substantial prison term could suffice given the nature and gravity of the offences, which were prepared and executed in a "refined and professional manner." The prosecution had sought 44 months for two of the men who struck a plea bargain and 66 months for the third, but the court found it impossible to differentiate each man's exact role in returning the stolen items.

Given the nature and gravity of the offences, only a substantial prison sentence will suffice.

The plea deals

Two suspects, Jan B. (21) and Douglas Chesley W. (37), made agreements with prosecutors that led to the recovery of the helmet and two bracelets in April. The third suspect, Bernhard Z. (35), refused any deal and denied being present during the robbery. However, statements Jan B. made to undercover agents posing as potential buyers implicated all three men. The court reduced the sentence by one month from the 48 months it originally intended, to prevent Jan B. and Douglas W. from appealing under the terms of their agreement.

The missing bracelet

One gold bracelet remains unaccounted for. The search continues, and speculation surrounds Bernhard Z., who did not cooperate with authorities. His lawyer declined to comment on the missing item, stating only that his client maintains he was not at the museum.

Diplomatic fallout

The theft caused serious tensions between the Netherlands and Romania. The former head of Romania's national history museum, Ernest Oberländer-Târnoveanu, lost his job within days of the theft after facing domestic criticism for loaning the objects abroad. The Dutch government paid a reported €5.7 million in insurance compensation. Romanian officials have not discussed what will happen to that money now that most of the treasure has been recovered.

The art treasures from Romania were insured for 5.7 million euros, but their importance and value cannot be expressed in money.

The artefacts

The Coțofenești helmet dates to around 450 BC and is made of almost pure gold. It is considered a symbol of Romanian history and one of the country's greatest cultural treasures. The items were on loan from Romania's national history museum in Bucharest as part of an exhibition on the Dacian civilisation, which inhabited present-day Romania before the Roman conquest in 106 AD.