Georgian Prosecutor’s Office, int’l law enforcers detain another individual in case of rare books stolen across Europe

The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has arrested another member of an organised crime group as part of an ongoing international investigation into a case of stealing and sale of rare 19th century books across Europe, the Office said on Wednesday.

The body said its investigation had found Georgian citizens had developed a criminal scheme with the intention of stealing 19th century books worth “hundreds of thousands of euros” for further sale throughout Europe, with the criminal actions committed between 2022 and 2023.

The body added the individuals used fake ID cards and fictitious names to obtain the books from national and university libraries in France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Switzerland, Poland and the Czech Republic, before replacing them with pre-made high-quality copies of the originals when returning them to the venues.

It also said four members of the group had already been arrested as part of investigative actions conducted in “dozens of locations” across the country, with the body cooperating with the Interior Ministry and law enforcement agencies from Switzerland, France and Lithuania.

The large-scale efforts involved more than 100 employees from law enforcement agencies of European Union countries and Georgia, with the investigative team created with the support of the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation.

The crime is punishable by six to 10 years of imprisonment.