On a chilly November evening in 2024, the bustling streets of Soho, London, played host to a crime that would soon capture the attention of art lovers, collectors, and law enforcement alike. In a moment that CCTV would later capture, Enzo Conticello, a 29-year-old man of no fixed address, snatched a Givenchy handbag from outside the famed Dog and Duck pub. What neither he nor the public could have anticipated was the extraordinary value of the bag’s contents: a green and gold, emerald-encrusted Fabergé egg and an exquisite watch, together worth up to £2.2 million—or nearly $3 million, according to multiple reports from the BBC, Associated Press, and Channel News Asia.
The victim, Rosie Dawson, had been carrying the items on behalf of her employer, the Craft Irish Whiskey Company. Earlier that evening, the Fabergé treasures had been on display at a work event, safely tucked away in her handbag alongside more ordinary possessions: a laptop, wallet, keys, AirPods, and makeup. For a fleeting moment, she placed the bag between her legs as she stood outside the pub, unaware that an opportunistic thief was watching.
According to the BBC, Conticello—also known by the alias Hakin Boudjenoune—acted out of a desire for "easy money." Prosecutor Julian Winship told Southwark Crown Court that Conticello had no inkling of the bag’s staggering worth. In fact, the thief’s actions in the immediate aftermath all but confirmed his ignorance: within minutes, he attempted to use Dawson’s stolen bank cards at shops nearby, as captured by surveillance footage. The stolen bag, it turns out, was traded for drugs, the priceless Fabergé egg and watch exchanged for a fleeting high.
The Craft Irish Whiskey Company’s Fabergé set is no ordinary collector’s item. As Channel News Asia reported, only seven such “Emerald Isle” sets exist, each comprising a Fabergé egg, a matching watch, a handcrafted whiskey bottle, and a cigar humidor. These sets have fetched between $2 million and $3 million at auction, and the Fabergé name itself—founded in Russia in the 19th century—evokes a legacy of opulence, craftsmanship, and intrigue. Some Fabergé eggs have been known to sell for as much as $30 million, a testament to their historical and cultural value.
The aftermath of the theft was swift and stressful. "Ms Dawson described the particular shock and panic upon realising a bag containing items of such particular value owned by the company had been stolen, and the incredible stress this incident has caused her," Judge Kate Livesey noted during sentencing, as reported by BBC News. The loss was not just financial; it was deeply personal and professional, affecting both Dawson and her employer. Insurers ultimately paid out £106,700 to the Craft Irish Whiskey Company, but the payout was a fraction of the Fabergé set’s true worth.
For months, the case went cold. Despite extensive police enquiries, Conticello remained at large. The Metropolitan Police, as cited by Storyful and other outlets, appealed to the public for information, asking anyone who might have been offered the rare Fabergé items for sale to come forward. The egg and watch, described as green and gold and about four inches high, with the watch featuring a rose gold case and brown leather strap, remained missing.
It wasn’t until November 2025 that the investigation took a turn. Conticello was arrested in Belfast for unrelated theft offenses, and detectives from the Met traveled to Northern Ireland in January 2026 to bring him back to London. By then, the trail for the missing treasures had grown cold, but police were determined to see justice served for the theft itself.
In February 2026, Conticello pleaded guilty to one count of theft and three counts of fraud by false representation. His barrister, Katie Porter-Windley, painted a picture of a man whose life had unraveled during the Covid pandemic. Once a chef, Conticello lost his job and fell into homelessness and cocaine addiction. "On the night in question, it was a moment of opportunity which he took, and he is genuinely remorseful for his behaviour," she told the court, according to the BBC and Associated Press. She added that Conticello "did not realise how valuable the items were that he had stolen," echoing Judge Livesey’s observation that the egg was "quite extraordinary looking"—so much so that "he wouldn't know on the face of it whether that was high value or not."
On April 9, 2026, Southwark Crown Court handed down its verdict. Judge Livesey sentenced Conticello to two years and three months in prison—27 months in total. The sentence reflected not only the gravity of the theft but also the stress and inconvenience caused to the victim and her company. "Conticello thought nothing of helping himself to someone else's possessions, and he now faces a prison sentence as a result of his greed," Detective Constable Arben Morina said, as quoted by the BBC.
Despite the conviction, the case remains open in a crucial way: the Fabergé egg and watch have not been recovered. The Metropolitan Police continue to appeal to the public for help, urging anyone with information about the missing items to come forward. The unique nature of the stolen set—one of just seven in existence—means that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to sell on the open market without attracting attention. Still, the whereabouts of the treasures remain a mystery.
The story of the Soho Fabergé theft is a cautionary tale of chance, desperation, and the enduring allure of the world’s rarest art objects. It’s also a reminder of the ripple effects such crimes can have, not just on the direct victims but on the wider community of collectors, insurers, and law enforcement. As the search for the missing Fabergé egg and watch continues, the hope endures that these masterpieces will one day be recovered—and that the lessons of this extraordinary case won’t soon be forgotten.