Jewelry News
Paris Bandits Seize Millions from Harry Winston
December 5, 2008
Diamonds and gems valued at $108 million were seized yesterday in a shocking robbery of the Parisian branch of high-end jeweler, Harry Winston. The bandits were said to know the names of several employees and the location of secret jewelry storage units.
According to Bloomberg news, four armed men entered the store on Avenue Montaigne near the Champs-Elysees shortly before their closing time. They took nearly everything on display and forced staff to hand off diamonds stashed away in the back. No one was injured and no shots were fired.
This
heist comes on the heels of a similar raid on the very same branch over a year
ago, where thieves escaped with more than $25 million in
glittering gems.
Coincidence? Or is this the same outfit back for another grab?
"We are clearly dealing with well-organized, ruthless criminals," Winston spokeswoman, Isabelle Montagne, said yesterday.
Parisian TV crews and curious passersby littered the road outside the store and marveled at the millions lost.
"How on earth are they going to fence all that," asked Richard Conacher, a 39-year-old pub worker from Melbourne.
The largest-ever jewelry heist took place in February 2003, when thieves took diamonds valued at 100 million euros from vaults at Antwerp's diamond exchange, according to Agence France- Presse.
Jewelry.com takes a closer look at history's famous jewel heists for you here.