The most casual thieves in Madrid made off with around 70 paintings last week after they punched a hole through the wall of a vacant building into an art gallery, local news sites report.

The thieves reportedly broke into an abandoned bar, punched through the wall and disabled the security system at the Puerta de Alcalá gallery in Madrid before casually loading around 70 canvases into a van parked outside.

A security guard patrolling a nearby construction site interrupted them midway, the Guardian reports, but the men were able to talk their way out of the situation.

Via El Pais:

Is this merchandise yours?" he reportedly asked.

"We're taking the paintings out of the gallery to put them on display somewhere else."

"At this time of the night?"

"We have to get an early start to get there in time."

The burglars, whom the security guard described as having Eastern European accents, spent two to three hours taking out art, propping it against nearby trees and loading it into a van. Then they drove off with their haul.

The gallery owner said the men also stole a receipt book, indicating the thieves may be trying to pass the stolen art off as legitimate.

"They took all our best work," Pedro Márquez told reporters.

[image via Google Maps]