The Villena Treasure, one of the most valuable Bronze Age goldwork collections in Europe, was stolen in the early hours of this morning from the Villena Museum (MUVI) in Alicante.
In barely four minutes, intruders slipped past the museum’s night-time security and made off with much of its main draw: 59 pieces of gold, silver, iron and amber, dated to the Late Bronze Age. They also stole three crowns of the Virgin and Child held by the museum.
The Civil Guard and local police are investigating the theft, which, according to initial evidence, appears to have been carried out in a coordinated, carefully planned operation by professionals. The material value of the stolen pieces could exceed 1.5 million euros.
Everything points to a professional, perfectly organised gang
The robbery began with a diversionary tactic. At 5:16, the alarm at the municipal sports centre on the outskirts of Villena forced the security forces to head there. Four minutes later, at 5:20, the alarms at the MUVI went off. When officers arrived, at 5:24, the intruders had already fled, Villena’s mayor Fulgencio Cerdán reported.
