Homeless Moroccan Found With Coins Worth €80,000 Says He Found Them by a Bin
A homeless Moroccan man was stopped in Italy with ten antique silver coins valued at more than 80,000 euros. When police asked where they came from, he said he had found them near a bin. The story has left investigators puzzled.
Ten coins, more than two centuries of history and a value exceeding 80,000 euros. That is what Italian police found in the backpack of a Moroccan homeless man in Bolzano, in the north of the country. Asked where the small treasure came from, the man gave a surprising explanation: he had simply found the package containing the coins next to a bin. Guardia di Finanza officers immediately seized the items.
The case dates back to Monday, October 12. Police were carrying out checks in the Prati del Talvera area, a park along a river, when they spotted several people involved in a violent dispute. They intervened to calm things down and check the people’s identities.
A drug-sniffing dog was accompanying the patrol. The animal first detected a small quantity of hashish on one of the people being checked, then three slabs hidden in nearby bushes. In total, about 100 grams of drugs were recovered. Police then decided to search further.
While searching the Moroccan national’s backpack, officers came across the ten antique coins. According to Italian broadcaster Rai, the coins, minted between 1813 and 1936, were in excellent condition. Their total value was estimated at more than 80,000 euros, or an average of more than 8,000 euros per coin.
“I found them near a bin”
After making the discovery, investigators asked the Moroccan man to explain how the collectible coins had ended up among his belongings. His answer left them perplexed. He reportedly picked up their packaging near a waste bin, but could provide no further details about where they came from.
The man, who was living on the street and was already known to police for drug and theft cases, was reported to the judicial authorities for handling stolen goods. The authorities also notified him of an order to leave Italian territory.
The ten coins were placed in judicial custody at the disposal of the Bolzano court. According to a Guardia di Finanza statement reported by the local press, investigators are now trying to identify their owner and determine how a collection of such value ended up in a homeless man’s bag.
