Drug raid in France uncovers stolen Picasso Painting
French police searching a house near Paris as part of a drug trafficking investigation discovered an authenticated Pablo Picasso painting, prosecutors said Saturday.
The discovery was made during a raid in Champigny-sur-Marne, close to Paris, according to reports citing the Creteil public prosecutor’s office.
“This discovery was made during a search carried out as part of an investigation into drug trafficking,” the prosecutor’s office said.
The prosecutor’s office said an investigation had been opened into theft and dealing in stolen goods after the painting was found.
The artwork was later authenticated as a work by the Spanish painter, but prosecutors did not specify which painting it was.
The Alliance Police Nationale union said on social media that the work had been stolen from a storage site in Paris without giving a date.
The union also said the painting was estimated to be worth several tens of millions of euros.
The Creteil prosecutor’s office did not give the name, estimated value, provenance or current location of the recovered painting.
Main Image: Champigny-sur-Marne