- Two British brothers have been sentenced to prison for breaking into a Swiss museum and stealing millions of dollars worth of Chinese Ming dynasty artefacts.
- The stolen items, two Ming Dynasty vases and a cup, valued at about $3.8 million, were stolen from the Far Eastern Museum in Geneva in 2019.
- The Metropolitan Police and Swiss authorities conducted an investigation and identified the brothers through DNA.
Two British brothers who broke into a Geneva museum and stole millions of dollars' worth of Chinese Ming-era artifacts have been sentenced to prison in Switzerland, police said Wednesday.
The Metropolitan Police announced on Tuesday that following an investigation by British and Swiss authorities, Lewis and Stewart Ahern were each sentenced to three-and-a-half years in a Swiss prison on Tuesday.
Police said two Ming Dynasty vases and a cup were stolen from the Far Eastern Museum in Geneva in 2019. The value of the 15th century artifact was approximately $3.8 million.
A Chinese-made box believed to have belonged to a Ming Dynasty emperor was discovered in a dusty cabinet and will be put up for auction.
Authorities shared DNA found at the scene with an international database, linking it to Stewart Ahern, who lived in south-east London. Police said the man had rented a car prior to the theft and used it to transport the stolen goods back to the UK.
Jewel-encrusted gold belt ornaments from the Ming Dynasty are seen at the Jiangnan Water Town Culture Museum in Hangzhou, China, on February 19, 2023. Two British brothers who broke into a Swiss museum and stole millions of dollars worth of similar artefacts have been sentenced to prison. (CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Detectives posing as art buyers then met the suspects at a London hotel and arranged to “purchase” the vase for $570,000. The Aherns were arrested after an undercover operation and extradited to Switzerland, where they pleaded guilty on Monday.
“The Ahern brothers planned this robbery meticulously and carried out careful reconnaissance to ensure they escaped safely and returned the goods to the UK,” Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb said.
Hidden cash: rare Ming dynasty banknotes discovered among Chinese carvings
Three other people involved in the attempted sale of one of the stolen vases were separately convicted of possession of criminal property.
Police say a Ming Dynasty wine cup with a picture of a chicken on it remains missing.
