The Most Notorious Jewelry Heists In Modern Times

Hollywood producers have always been interested in notorious robberies. But the recent robbery case at a palace in Germany reminded us that this action is not acceptable.

On November 21, from the Green Vault in Dresden, about 100 valuable treasures got stolen. The thieves reportedly have broken a window to get inside the museum.

Cameras recorded two suspects moving around the gallery with flashlights in their hands. After that, they smashed a display case and fleed with priceless jewels including diamonds, rubies, and pearls.

This event by far is nothing of the most sophisticated operation. However, the robbers have made it to the list of thieves walking away with precious jewels worth millions of dollars. Here are some of the most notorious heists in modern times.

Swedish royal jewels heist

In July 2018, a number of royal artifacts were stolen from a Swedish church. The thieves then got on a speedboat to flee.

These items once owned by Karl IX, the King of Sweden, and his wife Kristina. Among the stolen artifacts there was a golden orb embellished with two crowns and a crucifix taken from a cathedral in Western Stockholm. All the items were from the early 17th century.

The police at that time said that they couldn’t give any comment on the stolen items’ value. But in an interview with CNN, the Strängnäs’ dean, Christofer Lundgren, affirmed that their monetary value isn’t important as their significance in the cultural history of Sweden.

The thieves used an open-topped motorboat to escape. The police force used helicopters and patrol boats to hunt them down.

In 2019, the case’s suspect received a four-and-a-half-year sentence for the robbery.

Hatton Garden safe deposit

The case happened during the 2015 Easter holiday. The thieves broke into London-based Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd before fleeing with around $21.2 million in cash, gems, and jewelry. The heist was later considered English legal history’s largest burglary.

According to investigators, the thieves broke in via an elevator shaft. After that, they drilled through a 2-meter-thick wall to reach the basement vault.

Eventually, four men were brought to light. All four of them pleaded guilty.

At that time, the media had estimated the haul’s value, which could be somewhere around $303 million. However, in the trial, the prosecutor announced that the value of the stolen items was around $18 million.

Carlton Hotel

In 2013, the French Riviera was hit with a series of jewelry heists. Among them was the notorious jewels’ theft worth around $136 million. The heist happened at an exhibition held at the Carlton Hotel when it was still day time.

The deputy prosecutor said that the robber covered his face with a scarf and a hat and threatened to shoot the people there at the exhibition using a semiautomatic pistol.

During the Cannes Film Festival a few months earlier, a thief stole a $2.6-million-necklace from a hotel party, just shortly after $1-million-jewel had been stolen from a safe inside a hotel room.

The heist at Harry's

In 2008, four robbers with guns walked into a Harry Winston, a luxury jewelry store in Paris. Two of them dressed as women. They then pulled out their weapons to force the employees as well as the customers into a corner.

After sweeping the safes and display cases, the robbers walked away with jewels worth $105 million. The prosecutor’s office said that it seemed like the robbers knew where the jewels were kept as well as the names of some employees.

Antwerp diamond heist

In 2003, right after Valentine’s Day, precious stones worth $100 million were stolen from the Belgium-based Antwerp Diamon Center.

The thieves with their leader Leonardo Notabartolo managed to get through sone of the most cutting-edge security technology which included hi-tech combination locks, 18-inch steel dố, and heat and motion sensors.

The tapes in the security cameras of the building were switched so that the police couldn’t identify the robbers. However, their mistake was that they left behind a half-eaten sandwich, which obviously had their DNAs.

After several months of investigating with detectives from several countries, they finally arrested the gangsters. However, they couldn’t recover most of the jewelry.

Graff Jewelry Store

Back in 2009, two men dressed in suits and ties appeared at the Graff jewelry store located on the New Bond Street of London in broad daylight and walked away with jewelry worth around $65 million.

The men used their handguns to threaten the employees at the store before stealing 43 items which included watches, necklaces, and earrings. The pair then fled in a blue BMW.

At that time, it was the largest ever jewelry heist of Britain. The police later arrested the two thieves along with two other men.

Brussels Airport

In 2013, at the Brussels Airport, diamonds worth $50 million were stolen while they were being loaded onto an aircraft by eight masked men wearing police uniforms.

After crossing the fence, the thieves pointed their gún at the workers.

In under three minutes, they took away the diamonds.

The authorities expressed that the heist was carried out smoothly proved that the thieves were professional ones. Antwerp, known as the diamond-cutting capital of the world is around 40 km away from Brussels.

ABN Amro Bank

This robbery has such an unorthodox approach, using chocolates and charm. Back in March 2007, Carlos Hector Fomenbaum became the Antwerp ABN Amro Bank’s frequent customer.

He made friends with the staff, who fell for his lie that he was a successful diamond trader. He even gave them chocolate as a gift. After earning their trust, Flomenbaum succeeded in acquiring a key to the vault of the bank. He just simply walked in and out with $28-million diamonds.

Venice’s Doges’ Palace

Doge’s Palace is Venice’s popular tourist destination. In 2018, two thieves stole a brooch and a pair of earrings made from platinum, diamonds, and gold from a collection of the Qatari royal collection displayed at the palace.

The value of the jewels was around $31,000. However, the police chief of the city said that their true value was around a few million euros.

The pieces which once belonged to Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani, the former Emir of Qatar, were snatched during day time on the exhibition’s last day. The police believed that one suspect looked out for another one to grab the jewels.

The pair reportedly delayed the alarm system, leading to it ringing one minute late. And by the time it rang, they had already escaped.