Cannes jewelry raiders net US$20m
Print Edition
Four robbers looted 17.5 million euros (US$19.8 million) in jewelry and watches from a boutique in the French resort town of Cannes just days before the start of its star-studded film festival, sources said yesterday.
The Riviera town that hosts the red carpet extravaganza has become a key target for thieves carrying out heists at a time of year when top jewellers have their best pieces in stock to adorn the globe’s hottest celebrities.
The threat of such thefts and jitters four months after jihadist attacks in Paris left 17 dead have led authorities to boost security for the festival which sees the population of the town triple to 210,000 people.
The latest robbery came on Tuesday at the Cartier boutique on the beachfront promenade known as the Croisette.
One of the robbers wore an old-man mask and carried a pistol as he barged into the store, letting in two accomplices with scarves around their faces, while a fourth man stood guard outside, said sources close to the investigation.
Two employees and a shopper were in the store at the time.
The robbers stuffed the jewelry and watches into a leather satchel and jewelry bag. In their rush to escape, expensive watches fell to the pavement and were recovered by the store.
It was not known whether the stolen items were brought in especially for the film festival.
The thieves made off in a Mercedes later found burned out in a residential part of town. The car had been stolen in March.
Police are using surveillance cameras from the store in a bid to identify the thieves.
The large Cartier store sits next to the luxury Carlton hotel, which was hit by a jewelry theft in July 2013 while it was hosting an exhibition and sale by Israeli brand Leviev.
On that occasion, the thief helped himself to over 140 million euros worth of items after breaking into the hotel through a door on the ground floor.
That robbery was part of a string of robberies in 2013, many of which remain unsolved.
Experts say it is relatively easy for robbers to smuggle jewels out of France, find a corrupt polisher to change its shape and resell it.
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