The Guardia Civil has recovered the marble head of a fourth century bust of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius which was stolen in February 2013 from the belfry of the Quintana del Marco church in León.
Six people have been arrested in Sevilla and León on suspicion of crimes against heritage (theft and damage), receiving stolen goods, membership of a criminal group and money laundering.
The thieves used harnesses, ropes and a pulley to climb to the belfry where the head was located.
Evidence gathered by the police led to the province of Sevilla a large shopping mall in which the robbery suspects had acquired the climbing equipment.
Attention was then focused on several people living in Alcolea del Río (Sevilla), who tried to contact potential buyers to proceed with the sale of the sculpture.
In the June 2013, while the investigation was ongoing, a patrol of the Guardia Civil in Córdoba identified a vehicle and its occupants as being worthy of closer inspection. Inside the trunk, officers found a marble head. The occupants of the vehicle could not prove ownership of the artefact.
In July, raids were carried out on seven houses, six in Alcolea del Rio and one in Brenes, and police seized climbing gear, cash and various documents.