Suspected Georgian thieves were arrested for stealing rare books from national and historical libraries in different European countries in 2022 and 2023. According to Europol, the law enforcement agency of the European Union, the group is responsible for the theft of at least 170 books, resulting in financial losses of around 2.5 million euros and "an immeasurable loss to society's heritage."

These are ancient and highly valuable works, such as an original manuscript by Alexander Pushkin, first editions of works by Nikolai Gogol, and other 19th-century Russian literature titles. The gang developed a sophisticated operation, replacing the books with counterfeit copies. Sometimes the suspects pretended to be scholars to gain access to the books. From there, they took all the necessary measurements and photos to produce a "high-quality" copy, returning days, weeks, or months later to make the switch.

Are there less sophisticated thefts?

There are cases of less refined thefts, where libraries are invaded to loot works of interest. For example, in October of last year, the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (Inalco) in Paris was invaded by two men who made off with a dozen manuscripts, escaping by car.

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The Europol coordinated an international operation involving over 100 police officers who searched 27 properties in different countries. The efforts began after French authorities reported missing books from their libraries, leading other countries to report the same type of crime. For example, there were 79 missing works at the University of Warsaw.

Four suspects were arrested in Georgia on Wednesday, the 24th, and three others were previously arrested in France, Estonia, and Lithuania. Two more Georgians, detained at Brussels Airport in November 2023, are under judicial supervision in France.

The searches also took place in Poland and Switzerland, and there are also reports of thefts in countries such as Germany, the Czech Republic, Finland, and Latvia. More than 150 books have already been seized, and their origins are being assessed. Some of the items are irretrievable as they have already been sold at auctions in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

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