French police broke up an important network trafficking in stolen art when they arrested 60 people suspected of theft or receiving stolen goods, judicial sources said Friday. The arrests were made Tuesday, when 389 police officers and federal treasury agents carried out coordinated raids in 14 departements, or states. "This operation is the fruit of a long, extensive and remarkable investigation," said the public prosecutor of the central French city of Clermont-Ferrand, Michel Valet. More than 500 pieces of furniture, paintings, bronzes, antique weapons, tapestries and statues were seized in the raids. In addition, 105 bank accounts worth 1.8 million euros (2.4 million dollars) were frozen as a result of the 18-month investigation. The network, described by police as the largest in France in recent years, is suspected of carrying out more than 60 burglaries of villas and castles since March 2003. ---SP 2351 Local Time 2051 GMT
