Three years and eleven months in prison for men who stole Romanian art treasures from Drents Museum

Three men from Heerhugowaard were sentenced on Friday to three years and eleven months in prison for the art theft in the Drents Museum last year. Bernhard Z. (35), Douglas W. (37) and Jan B. (21) all receive 47 months in prison minus pre-trial detention.

In January 2025, they stole four art treasures from the exhibition from the Drents Museum in AssenDacia – Empire of silver and gold. In the museum, the burglars destroyed glass display cases and took Coțofenești’s golden helmet – a masterpiece from the Romanian art collection – and three gold bracelets in a sports bag.

The art treasures were missing for more than a year. They were returned in March after negotiations with the suspects’ lawyers. One gold bracelet is still missing.

In April, the Public Prosecution Service demanded a longer prison sentence of five years and five months against Bernhard Z.. Douglas W. and Jan B. made agreements with the justice department. Without such agreements, the return of the art treasures would not have been possible, according to the Public Prosecution Service. As a result, their sentence was reduced by a third. They were sentenced to three years and eight months in prison.

In the case of Bernhard Z. and Douglas W., the Public Prosecution Service already took into account the impact of sharing their photo and full names prior to their arrest when sentencing them. The demand against Jan B. was also slightly lower because of his young age and because he has no criminal record. Bernhard Z. and Douglas W. do.

When determining the sentence, the court took into account the trial agreements made with Douglas W. and Jan B., because they returned part of the loot. Even though no agreements have been made with Bernhard Z., the court imposes the same sentence on him.