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Another French museum robbery sees 2,000 gold and silver coins stolen
Around 2,000 gold and silver coins worth around €90,000 (£78,000; $104,000) were stolen during a raid at another French museum – just hours after the audacious theft of some of the French crown jewels at the Louvre in Paris.
The incident happened at a museum dedicated to French philosopher Denis Diderot in Landres, north-eastern France on Sunday night.
When the Maison des Lumières (House of Enlightenment) opened on Tuesday, workers noticed a smashed display case and raised the alarm, officials said. The coins were selected with “great expertise”, a statement to French media from the local authority said.
It is the latest in a recent string of heists at cultural institutions across France.
The stolen coins date from between 1790 and 1840 and are part of the city’s private collection, after being discovered in 2011 during renovation work at the building that now houses the museum, according to local media.
Last month, criminals broke into Paris’s Natural History Museum, making off with six gold nuggets worth around €1.5m.
A Chinese national was arrested in Barcelona in connection with this raid while trying to dispose of some melted down gold, according to prosecutors. She was charged earlier this month and is being held in pre-trial detention.
Also in September, thieves stole two Chinese porcelain dishes and a vase with an estimated combined worth of €6.55m from the national porcelain museum in the central city of Limoges. The items are still missing and no arrests have been made.
“They’re unsaleable on the art market. The pieces are too easily traceable anyway because they’re so well listed,” a ceramics expert told Le Parisien newspaper at the time.
The heist that has made headlines across the globe was the brazen daylight robbery of €88m worth of historic jewellery from the Louvre museum in Paris.
A gang disguised as workers used power-tools and a mechanical ladder to gain access to the first-floor Gallery of Apollo in the world’s most visited museum shortly after it opened on Sunday.
The loot included a diamond and emerald necklace Emperor Napoleon gave to his wife, a tiara worn by Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, and several pieces previously owned by Queen Marie-Amelie.
Art detective Arthur Brand told the BBC museums across Europe could see a flurry of copycat raids in the coming months.
If someone can target the Louvre and escape with the French crown jewels, local thieves may think “let’s try our nearest museum”, he said.
Security is clearly a problem for many cultural institutions, he said, before adding that compared to a heavily protected jewellery store, a museum with lax security and unarmed guards is a ripe target for robbers.
The Louvre heist – as well as the other incidents – have raised concerns in France around the lax security at institutions that house some of its most prized treasures.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the heist, the Louvre’s director Laurence des Cars told French senators on Wednesday that CCTV around the Louvre’s perimeter was weak and aging.
The only camera monitoring the exterior wall of the Louvre where the theives broke in was pointing away from the first-floor balcony that led to the gallery housing the jewels, she said.
“We failed these jewels,” des Cars said, adding that no-one was protected from “brutal criminals – not even the Louvre”.
A preliminary report found one in three rooms in the Louvre lacked CCTV and that its wider alarm system did not go off.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said security protocols had “failed”, lamenting that the thieves being able to drive a modified truck up to the museum had left France with a “terrible image”.
In the case of the gold stolen from the French Natural History Museum, the building’s alarm and surveillance systems had been disabled by a cyber-attack, with the thieves apparently aware of this, French media reported at the time.
(BBC)
Building on its success in seizing major narcotic stocks in 2025, the Navy continued to support the “A Nation United” National Mission in 2026. In continuation of these efforts, during an
operation conducted on the high seas south of Sri Lanka, the Navy apprehended eleven (11) suspects aboard two local multi-day fishing trawlers suspected of drug smuggling.
Based on shared information, by the Sri Lanka Navy and Police, this special operation was conducted off the southern coast, deploying the Navy‟s Offshore Patrol Vessels. The operation
resulted in the interception of a multi-day fishing trawler suspected of smuggling narcotics, and the apprehension of five (05) suspects on board.
During further operations in the same area, naval units seized another multi-day fishing trawler (01), along with communication equipment and six (06) additional suspects, also believed to be involved in drug smuggling.
This morning (25 Jan 26), the two intercepted fishing trawlers, along with fourteen (14) sacks laden with suspected narcotics and the suspects, were brought to the Dikovita Fisheries Harbour.
An expert examination by the Police Narcotic Bureau confirmed that the fourteen (14) sacks contained more than 184 kilograms of heroin and over 112 kilograms of ‘Ice’ (crystal methamphetamine).
The Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General (Retd) Aruna Jayasekara, the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, and the Inspector General of Police, Priyantha Weerasuriya, inspected the narcotics at the Dikovita harbour.
The Deputy Minister of Defence said that the current administration has initiated several projects for national development. As a flagship initiative, under the directives and guidance of the President, and under the supervision of the
Ministry of Defence, well-coordinated anti-narcotic raids have been launched.
This effort, part of “A Nation United” National Mission, involves the tri-forces, police, and all intelligence agencies working together under a coordinated plan to ensure that drug smugglers have no opportunity to bring narcotics into the country, he opined. He further stated that despite the national disaster situation, the state machinery, including the tri-forces, the police, and the public at large, remains united in rebuilding the nation, no room will be left for drug trafficking, which poses a severe threat to national security and public safety. Those
who engage in or support drug trafficking, under the cover of fishing activities, will find no escape, he added.
The Deputy Minister also reaffirmed that the tri-forces, police, and all law enforcement agencies are fully committed to their duty of suppressing this menace.
The Deputy Minister of Defence reported that, throughout 2025, a series of highly successful operations were conducted leading to numerous arrests. This was achieved through close coordination and mutual cooperation among the tri-services, the police, the Special Task Force, Police Narcotics Bureau, local law enforcement and international agencies. He noted that this
same spirit of cooperation and commitment has continued into 2026, resulting in the seizure of a large stockpile of drugs.
On behalf of the Honourable President, he extended gratitude to all who contributed to these efforts, specifically acknowledging the Commander of the Navy, the Inspector General of Police, the Police Narcotic Bureau, and the crews of the Navy’s Offshore
Patrol Vessels.
Moreover, the Deputy Minister declared that drug smuggling has become a national crisis, fueled by youth involvement and social crime. With borders secured under the “Nation United” National Mission, he warned traffickers to cease operations and urged users to abandon the destructive habit.
The Deputy Minister urged the public to report suspected drug smugglers to law enforcement via the hotlines 1818 or 1997 and also commended the role of media institutions and journalists in raising public awareness about the dangers of narcotics through responsible reporting.
Meanwhile, the two (02) multi-day fishing trawlers, along with a haul of narcotics, eleven (11) suspects, and communication equipment, were handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau for
further investigation and legal proceedings.
Tanzania 131 in 38.3 overs (Acrey Pascal 55; Nihar Parmar 4-30, Nikhil Pol 3-23) lost to Japan 136/1 in 28.2 overs (Nihar Parmar 53*, Taylor Waugh 47) by nine wickets
[Cricbuzz]
New Zealand 135 in 36.2 overs (RS Ambrish 4-29, Henil Patel 3-23) lost to India 130/3 in 13.3 overs (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 40, Ayush Mhatre 53) by 7 wickets [DLS Method]
[Cricbuzz]
Three arrested with narcotics valued at Rs123 million at BIA
Navy intercepts 02 narcotics-laden trawlers with 11 suspects in southern seas
Indonesian Naval Ship ‘KRI SULTAN ISKANDAR MUDA – 367’ departs island
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