A Treasure Hunter Looted Over 27,000 Buried Relics – But One Fatal Error Cost Him Everything

In a field layered with ancient earth, a metal detectorist known as Patrice T. is scanning the terrain for historic finds. Unearthing a rare Roman artifact, he squirrels it away amongst his growing hoard of priceless relics. With more than 27,000 treasures in his collection, he’s on the brink of making his fortune. But soon, all that will change.

A keen amateur archaeologist, Patrice had spent years amassing an impressive cache of treasures from the distant past. Equipped with his trusty metal detector, he searched the countryside, turning up everything from historic coins to jewelry from the Bronze and Iron Age. But these finds were not destined for display in a university or museum.

Patrice, you see, was allegedly a looter, dredging up centuries of history for personal profit and gain. And in his home, he was hiding a spectacular array of illicit artifacts, some dating back thousands of years. Then he tried to add a huge stash of Roman coins to his collection – and his great scheme began to unravel.

In October 2019 Patrice reached out to the authorities to declare his most recent find. But he made an error of judgement that would ultimately cost him his entire hoard. Now he is facing an uncertain future – with his freedom itself on the line. According to experts, the relics were worth almost a million dollars, but the detectorist managed to lose the lot.

But how exactly did Patrice’s promising looting career come to such a disappointing end? According to reports, the French detectorist has been active since at least 1993. That year, the Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad claims, he uncovered thousands of coins dating back to the third and fourth centuries.