In a daring jewel heist that took place in the German city of Dresden, five men have been found guilty of the crime. The audacious robbery occurred in 2019 at the city’s state museum, resulting in the theft of precious items with an estimated value of €113 million (£98 million). Although law enforcement managed to recover many of the stolen jewels, including a diamond-encrusted sword, there are concerns that the remaining looted treasure may never be located.
The convicted individuals, all belonging to a notorious criminal family network, now face sentences ranging from four to six years. This meticulously planned heist involved the gang, residing in Berlin, scouting the museum site on multiple occasions and prepping their entry point. They used a hydraulic cutting machine to saw through the bars of a protective window covering, cleverly taping them back into place to avoid detection.
In the early hours of November 25, 2019, the thieves executed their plan. They set fire to a circuit breaker panel near the museum, causing a power outage that enveloped the surrounding streets in darkness. Two of the perpetrators took advantage of the situation, slipped inside the museum, and were captured on CCTV footage wearing masks and wielding axes. Inside the lavishly decorated Green Vault (Gruenes Gewoelbe), they smashed glass display cases to access the treasure. To cover their tracks, the thieves deployed a foam fire extinguisher before making their escape in an Audi. They abandoned the vehicle in a nearby car park and set it ablaze before fleeing back to Berlin.
Following a year-long investigation, law enforcement made their initial arrests. The individuals convicted in this case are all members of the so-called “Remmo clan,” one of several criminal family networks in Germany with Arab roots involved in major organized crime, including recent incidents such as a department store raid and a bank robbery.
Interestingly, one of the perpetrators had previously been convicted for the theft of a massive gold coin weighing 100kg (220lbs) from Berlin’s Bode Museum in 2017. The coin, known as the “Big Maple Leaf,” was never recovered and is believed to have been dismantled or melted down.
Marion Ackermann, the general director of Dresden’s State Art Collections, remarked on the stark contrast between passionate art thieves and the motives of this criminal group. She stated, “There are people who steal artworks out of passion for art, but this was really the opposite. They had no idea of what they had taken.”
Initially, concerns arose that the stolen treasure would be lost forever, similar to the fate of the gold coin. However, many of the stolen items were returned to the museum after three of the perpetrators confessed to the theft and disclosed the location of the remaining loot in exchange for reduced sentences through a deal with prosecutors.
Nevertheless, several pieces, including the exceptionally rare White Stone of Saxony diamond, are still missing. The stolen items were part of a collection amassed in the 18th century by Augustus the Strong, the Elector of Saxony. Augustus not only accumulated pieces adorned with diamonds and precious stones but also designed the Green Vault to showcase them.
Professor Ackermann expressed the deep disappointment caused by the loss of a portion of the collection, as Augustus’ vision was for visitors to witness the entire ensemble together and be overwhelmed by the variety of colors and gemstones.
The audacity of this heist sent shockwaves through the art world and raised questions about the adequacy of the museum’s security measures. Even one of the thieves expressed surprise during the trial that they were able to saw through window bars without detection, despite the noise generated by their cutting equipment.
Professor Ackermann emphasized that responsibility for the security concept at the museum was shared between Dresden’s State Art Collection and another regional body. She insisted that
