A 36-year-old Cuban national, who received political asylum in Greece about two months ago, has been arrested in Koropi as he was wanted by Interpol for stealing artwork from the National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana.
According to Interpol, in 2013 the 36-year-old along with three other armed men stormed the museum’s storage facilities and took off with tens of pieces of art. Some sources claim that 71 pieces of art were stolen, while other sources claim that over 90 were stolen. The estimated valued of the stolen art is over $1.5 million, while some of the art surfaced in a gallery in Miami, FL.
The Cuban national appears to have been hiding in Greece since 2014, with a Greek police official stating that a red notice was issued in February 2015 after the 36-year-old applied for asylum. His request was accepted in September.
Eventually the police located the 36-year-old man in a house in Koropi and arrested him, along with a 40-year-old Greek man. The 40-year-old was not involved in the museum heist, but he was arrested in relation to a revolver and 55 rounds of ammunition that were seized on his property.
Cuban authorities have reportedly initiated the revelant procedures for 36-year-old’s extradition.
