Daring Facts About Crazy Heists
Sometimes heists really are just like the movies: disguises, guns, explosives, turtlenecks, double-crossings. Sometimes, not so much: bees, lettuce, maple syrup, Justin Bieber.
In any case, the daring and duplicitous world of heists always proves to be an endlessly fascinating and entertaining subject to delve into. Just don’t get any bright ideas...
Crazy Heists Facts
26. The Pink Panthers
Named after a series of crime comedy films starring Peter Sellers, the Pink Panthers is an international jewel thief network composed mainly of Serbs, and they are responsible for some of the most audacious and glamorous heists in criminal history.
Targeting numerous countries and continents, they tend to just appear and reappear out of thin air. One of their more infamous thefts was the heist of the jewellery store Harry Winston in Paris, December 2008.
A gang of four thieves escaped with more than $100 million worth of jewellery, all while dressed in drag. If you’re going to do it you might as well look fierce, right?
25. The Antwerp Diamond Heist
The Antwerp Diamond Heist, February 2003, has been dubbed the "heist of the century," and is one of the largest diamond heists in history.
Diamonds, gold, and other jewellery valued at more than $100 million were stolen, and the loot was never recovered.
It is believed to have been carried out by a five-man team led by Leonardo Notarbartolo, who moved into an apartment next to the Diamond Center and spent three years posing as an Italian diamond merchant to build credibility.
Notarbartolo was later caught (sans his stolen diamonds), largely because police found his DNA on a half-eaten salami sandwich near the crime scene.
24. Wiseguys
Perhaps best known as the heist that inspired the classic gangster flick Goodfellas, the Lufthansa Heist took place December 11th, 1978 at the JFK International Airport in New York, and was the largest cash robbery in American history at the time. An estimated $5 million was stolen in cash and $875,000 in jewels. The heist also inspired the films 10 Million Dollar Getaway and The Big Heist.
The Big Heist, Alliance Atlantis