$102 Million Worth of Gems Taken in Bold Heist at the Louvre
In a theft reminiscent of a cinematic storyline, the Louvre Museum in Paris witnessed a daring robbery as $102 million in valuable jewels were taken over the weekend. The incident occurred in the museum’s Apollo Gallery and involved eight pieces of French crown jewels, including items bestowed by Napoleon to his second spouse for their nuptials.
Heist Overview
The heist unfolded with a band of criminals entering the museum in broad daylight after positioning a truck near the Seine River side of the Louvre. Disguised as maintenance workers, the culprits employed a basket lift to gain access to an upper-level window, which they pried open using an angle grinder. Once inside, they quickly broke display cases and grabbed the priceless items.
The whole operation lasted only seven minutes, commencing just 30 minutes after the museum had opened for the day. Despite alarms alerting museum security, they were unable to catch the thieves, who escaped on motorbikes. During their getaway, they dropped a ninth item, the crown belonging to Empress Eugénie, which was discovered damaged.
Precious Items Taken
The jewels that were stolen included Empress Eugénie’s tiara embellished with 212 pearls and almost 3,000 diamonds, along with her diamond-studded bow and brooch. Also taken was a 19th-century sapphire and diamond necklace and tiara set, worn by two queens, along with one of its earrings. Furthermore, a set of emerald and diamond necklace and earrings that Napoleon had gifted to Marie Louise were included among the pilfered items.
Investigation in Progress
An extensive investigation is currently underway, involving 60 detectives, and the stolen treasures are recorded on INTERPOL’s Stolen Works of Art database. While specialists are optimistic about capturing the thieves due to DNA evidence left behind, the recovery of the jewels remains uncertain. There is concern that these invaluable artifacts could be taken apart and sold on the black market, hindering retrieval attempts.
The French government now faces significant questions regarding museum security, especially as this event comes on the heels of a recent heist of gold nuggets from the Paris Museum of Natural History. The Louvre, having experienced high-profile thefts before, famously had its Mona Lisa painting stolen in 1911, an incident that took nearly three years to resolve.