Swiss and British police break up crime ring and recover Ming dynasty vase
In a joint Swiss-British sting operation, authorities recovered a 15th-century Chinese vase worth about 2 million pounds (CHF2.25 million) and broke up a criminal gang believed to have been stolen from a Geneva museum. The London Metropolitan Police Service made the announcement after a London court on Friday found two men guilty of charges related to the gang’s effort to sell the vase. A third man pleaded guilty to similar charges earlier this year, and two other men who were arrested in London are awaiting trial in Switzerland for their alleged role in the burglary. All five are from southeast London. The vase, which dates to the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, was one of three items stolen from the Museum of Far Eastern Art in Geneva in 2019. ++Nazi-linked Bührle art collection hacked London police said they worked with Swiss authorities on the investigation after an auction house alerted them that someone had e-mailed them seeking a valuation for the stolen vase.