Official: Organized crime likely behind Celtic gold heist

BERLIN (AP) — A senior official in southern Germany says that organized crime groups were likely behind the theft of a huge horde of ancient gold coins stolen from a museum this week. The 483 coins were discovered in 1999 during excavations of an ancient settlement near the present-day town of Manchning and were on display at the local Celtic and Roman Museum. Bavaria’s minister of science and arts said Wednesday that all of the museum’s security systems, along with Manching’s entire telephone network, had been disabled during the heist. Authorities fear the treasure, worth millions of dollars, could be melted down.