List of notorious billion-dollar robbery missions in modern times, from ancient ways like Earth to sophisticated psychological tricks

The theme of "cheeky robberies" is still a hot topic for Hollywood studios to exploit, each with a different film, showing that their unlimited imagination has built up dozens of "brainwashing" films. full of surprises. However, the attack on a castle in Germany in November reminded us that this was a criminal act worthy of condemnation.

In the early morning of November 27, about a hundred priceless treasures were removed from the Green Vault Museum in Dresden, Germany - one of the most masterpieces in Europe and located on the first floor. of the Dresden castle. The thieves are assumed to have broken into the museum by cutting through metal mesh and breaking windows.

Within minutes, the camera recorded two suspects moving inside the gallery with a flashlight in their hands, they smashed a display case and quickly fled with countless priceless diamond-encrusted jewelry, pearl and ruby.

Although this event is far from being the most sophisticated theft in history, the criminals who broke into the Green Vault museum are just two of the many other thieves who escaped with eating. stealing billions of dollars worth of jewelry. Here are some of the most notorious burglaries of recent times.

Jewelry theft of Swedish royalty

Royal Swedish jewelry

In July 2018, thieves stole some royal artifacts from a Swedish church and escaped by motorboat.

Items that once belonged to the Swedish King Karl and his wife Kristina, including a gold jewel with a cross and two crowns, were removed from the cathedral in the west of the capital. Stockholm. The items have existed since the beginning of the 17th century.

At the time, the police said that they could not state the value of the stolen items. But the abbess of the Strängnäs stake, Christofer Lundgren, asserts that values ​​are not as important as their significance to Swedish history and culture.

The thieves fled with a convertible motorboat. Police patrol boats and helicopters quickly appeared and chased them. In 2019, a man was convicted and sentenced to four years and six months in prison for involvement in the burglary.

The case of Hatton Garden safes

The hole pierced through a wall two meters thick

Occurring at Easter 2015, thieves broke into Hatton Garden Safe Company in London and escaped with an amount of £ 14 billion worth of gems, jewels and cash (over 400,000). billion VND).

According to the investigator, the perpetrators infiltrated inside through the passageway for the elevator. They then used a drill to puncture a two meter thick wall and entered the storage vault located in the basement.

The last four men were still brought to trial and convicted of engaging in conspiracy to steal. The prosecution described thieves - both over 40 years old - as the "chiefs and conspirators" of the case.

At the time, the media had predicted that the value of the burglary would have amounted to £ 200 million (approximately $ 303 million at the time), but during the trial, the prosecutor declared The value of the stolen property is only £ 14 million.

Carlton Hotel

Carlton Hotel

A series of jewelry thieves rocked the Côte d'Azur coast in France in 2013. Among them, there is the famous gem theft with the value of stolen items amounting to 102 million Euro (over 2,500 billion Vietnam Dong) happened right in an exhibition at the Carlton Hotel during the day.

The deputy prosecutor - from the organized crime prosecutor's office - said: " The thief, with his face covered by a hat and a neckerchief, threatened to shoot the officers and guests. a semi-automatic pistol. "

A few months earlier, during the Cannes Film Festival, a necklace worth VND 60 billion was also stolen in a hotel party, shortly after a gem worth more than VND 2 billion was lost. Stolen from a safe in a hotel room.

Theft at the Harry shop

Close up of Harry Winston store

In 2008, four armed robbers - two of whom disguised as women - entered inside a Harry Winston jewelry store in Paris, where they pulled out weapons and forced customers and employees into. in a corner.

They took away the items being displayed on shelves and in safes, then left with jewelry worth about 80 million Euros (over VND 2,000 billion). According to the prosecutor's office, the robbers seem to know the whereabouts of some jewelers and the names of some employees.

Diamond theft in Central Antwerp

According to Antwerp's judicial director Eric Sack, the thieves copied the center's keys

Just the day after Valentine's Day in 2003, a worth of $ 100 million worth of gemstones was stolen from the Antwerp Diamond Center in Belgium.

The bandits, led by Leonardo Notarbartolo, reportedly recounted the most advanced security measures, including high-tech code locks, thermal and motion sensors and a half-meter thick door. .

They also changed the video of the building's security cameras to avoid being identified. But they made a mistake: A sandwich that was bitten in half with a piece of DNA stuck had accused them.

After a long month of working with detectives from many countries, the whole band was arrested, but the authorities were unable to confiscate most of the gems.

Graff jewelry store

Among the objects stolen, there was a chain made of platinum and diamonds

In 2009, two well-dressed men entered Graff jewelry store on New Bond Street, London, in the daytime and stole jewelry worth 40 million Euros (over 1,000 billion VND).

They threatened staff with shotguns and took 43 pieces of jewelry - including earrings, necklaces and watches - then hid in a blue BMW car.

At the time, this was the largest jewelry robbery in England. Two men involved in the robbery, along with two other accomplices, were arrested and convicted of the audacious robbery.

Brussels Airport

Marc Bertoldi - accused of masterminding the robbery

In 2013, eight men in police uniforms attacked the Brussels airport and left with diamonds worth more than VND 1,000 billion being loaded onto planes.

According to the airport spokesman, after crossing the fence and rushing to the asphalt road, bandits threatened the staff with guns. In just three minutes, they took all the gems in the group's hands.

The authorities have said that such a bold robbery is feasible and surprising - suggesting to us that the robbery was carried out by professional criminals, not the criminals. amateur excess opaque water drop fishing. Known as the diamond capital, Antwerp is only 25 miles from the port of Brussels.

Amn Bank ABN

An ABN Amro bank branch was closed after the robbery

A strange method of robbery: using chocolate and seduction. In March 2007, a man named Carlos Hector Flomenbaum became a patron of ABN Amro Bank in the city of Antwerp.

After becoming familiar with the staff - who believed he was a successful diamond dealer and habitually giving them chocolate - Flomenbaum stole the key to open the bank's storage bunker. . He walked slowly in and out the front door with about 120,000 carats of diamonds, worth more than VND 600 billion.

Doge Palace in Venice

Exhibits on display at Doge palace

Doge Palace, a popular spot for tourists in Venice, was displaying a collection of Qatari royal items in 2018 when two thieves stole a pair of earrings and brooches made from Diamond, gold and platinum.

The jewelry was valued at 30,000 euros, but at that time the Venetian police chief insisted that it was worth "several million euros".

The jewel - once owned by the Emir aristocrat in Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani - was taken away on the morning of the last day on display. According to the police, a suspect was a watchman, while another man took out the jewelry.

According to preliminary assessment, the criminals made a one-minute delay alarm, giving them enough time to slip away.

According to CNN