U.K. police hold hundreds of unclaimed luxury items after burglary ring investigation

Hundreds of luxury watches, handbags and jewelry recovered by British police after a major burglary investigation remain unclaimed weeks after the suspects were convicted. Authorities acknowledged that the items have not been reviewed by specialists and that the owners are still unknown.

The property was recovered as part of Operation Ambler, an investigation into a series of at least 44 burglaries across the U.K. Five Albanian men and a British woman have pleaded guilty in the case. Police have published extensive photo galleries of the recovered items online in an effort to reunite them with victims.

Asked whether any of the recovered items were believed to be antique, collectible, or high-craft objects, Cheshire Constabulary said no expert assessment had been carried out.

“All of the items we have were recovered from addresses in the West Midlands as part of an investigation into a series of burglaries by five Albanian men and a British woman,” a police spokesperson said in an email response.

“The items have not been reviewed by experts, so we’re unable to say if they are high-value or antiques. However, we do know that many of the designer watches and handbags have been confirmed as officer,” a police term indicating the items are genuine.

Police said they are still trying to identify who the stolen items belong to.

The recovered property includes luxury watches from brands such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Hublot, Panerai and Rolex—which increasingly trade like art objects—as well as designer handbags, jewelry, and other personal items.

Among the items is a Fabergé-style decorative egg that resembles commercially available replicas of the 1895 Rosebud Egg. A similar item is currently listed for sale on eBay for $111.

The appeal for information was circulated by Art Recovery International, a private firm that works to recover stolen art and cultural property worldwide.

Its founder, Christopher A. Marinello, told Urgent Matter that none of the items were submitted to him for review before police published the appeal.

Marinello said he independently identified several items that appeared valuable or distinctive enough to merit further attention and contacted police requesting additional documentation.

“However, I have taken particular notice of some of the more valuable and identifiable items and asked the police for more images and serial numbers,” he said.

“I fully expect that they will not respond to me. If they did, that would greatly increase the chances of returning the stolen items to the victims.”

“Unfortunately, for law enforcement in the U.K., once the criminals are arrested, they have little interest or willingness to see the items reunited with the victims,” he added.

The convictions themselves marked the end of a multi-county investigation involving burglaries in Cheshire, Cleveland, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and West Mercia.

Investigators have said the group targeted residential properties and that the recovered items could have been stolen from anywhere in the U.K.

Police have encouraged anyone who believes their property may be among the recovered items to review the images on the Cheshire Constabulary website and submit a claim for review by investigators.

Follow along with other art crime stories at Urgent Matter’s art crime tracker.