• There are six people under investigation for alleged crimes against property.

• Among other pieces, a baroque image of San Ginés de Jara, a work by Juan Pascual de Erocco, dating from the 18th century, and two baroque-style Solomonic columns from the altarpiece of the chapel of San Antonio have been restored.

• Some of the looted property was found in homes occupied by the former owners of the monastery.

• The works were carried out in collaboration with technicians from the Historical Heritage Service of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Region of Murcia, the Culture Department of the Cartagena City Council, and the Ministry of Culture.

April 21, 2025.- Customs Surveillance Officers of the Tax Agency in Murcia have seized, in several private homes, assets of cultural interest that had been looted from the Monastery of San Ginés de la Jara (El Beal), including a carving of the Patron Saint of Cartagena and other pieces that were originally in the monastery. Six people have been investigated for alleged property crimes.

The investigation began after learning in December 2017 of the possible smuggling of cultural assets allegedly stolen from the Monastery of San Ginés de la Jara by its former owners.

Roman column in a villa in La Manga

The operation, called 'Pandora-Mastia', was developed in two phases of exploitation. In a first phase, it was possible to locate and intervene, at the end of April 2022, the monastery bell and, subsequently, a Roman column shaft made of reddish travertine on which a bust made of gray limestone is attached (a bearded anthropomorphic head representing Simeon the Stylite), both in a chalet in La Manga (San Javier-Murcia).

Various investigations carried out in a second phase revealed that other assets looted from the monastery could be hidden in homes in Madrid occupied by the monastery's former owners. Following the house searches ordered by the investigating magistrate, the Baroque image of San Ginés de la Jara, a work by Juan Pascual de Erocco and dating from the 18th century, was seized in January 2025. San Ginés de la Jara has been the patron saint of Cartagena since 1677 and is currently co-patron saint of Cartagena, along with the Virgin of Charity. During these same house searches, two Baroque-style Solomonic columns from the dismantled altarpiece of the Chapel of San Antonio were removed.

The located, identified, and seized pieces, including the polychrome image of the saint who gives the monastery its name, have been transferred to the Municipal Archaeological Museum of Cartagena, where they remain in storage at the disposal of the judicial authorities.

The Customs Surveillance Service, within the framework of the Annual Operational Action Plan of the European Union's EMPACT program, participates in operations to combat various illicit activities, including trafficking in cultural goods. The firm commitment to the protection of historical and cultural heritage is noteworthy, as is the importance of institutional cooperation as a fundamental tool for locating and recovering assets requiring special protection.

The operation was carried out in collaboration with technicians from the Historical Heritage Service of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Region of Murcia, the Culture Department of the Cartagena City Council, and the Ministry of Culture. The investigations have been led by the head of the Investigative Court No. 4 of Cartagena.