Published on: 2026-04-28
Source: The People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Moscow, April 28 /Xin Hua/ — The Federal Customs Service (FCS), together with the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), stopped the activities of a Frenchman who took a collection of gold coins from the Saint-Remi Museum in France and tried to sell them in the Russian Federation. This was reported by the press service of the FCS of Russia.
“The activities of a French citizen who smuggled a collection of gold coins worth 53 million rubles from the French State Museum of Saint-Rémy were stopped by the officers of the Russian Federal Customs Service jointly with the Russian Federal Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” the message says.
According to the received data, 29-year-old Anton Kastelein was an employee of a historical museum. Using his official position, he stole and illegally imported into Russia part of the museum exhibits — gold coins from the time of the Roman Empire and the Napoleonic III reign. Their value is estimated at 53 million rubles.
“In 2023-2024, the man repeatedly came to Moscow and, for unhindered passage through customs control, hid stolen coins in the coin compartment of his wallet, mixing them with euro cents. In the capital, he sold valuables to various numismatic organizations as well as private collectors,” the Federal Customs Service reported.
It is noted that later Interpol received a notice regarding the search for gold coins in the French city of Reims. During operational search activities, 79 items matching the description were found and seized. The expertise showed that 78 of them are originals and are cultural valuables, and one coin is a copy.
Currently, unavoidable investigative actions are being conducted.
Note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.