The 9 Most Important Gold and Precious Metal Thefts
History is full of daring gold heists, events that have captured the collective imagination both for the magnitude of the loot and the ingenuity of the thieves involved. Every era has seen extraordinary thefts, in which criminal genius has defied sophisticated security systems, resulting in heists that seem to have come out of a movie. These episodes offer a fascinating glimpse into the human ability to plan complex strategies and execute them with precision.
In addition to gold, the loot often includes diamonds, jewels and precious stones, goods of enormous value that make each heist even more sensational. The black market often becomes the fate of these treasures, fueling legends of hidden treasures and irretrievable goods. The attraction of these episodes lies in the contrast between the illegality of the action and the sophistication of the execution, making them part of a crime epic that continues to intrigue and amaze.
The Brink’s-Mat robbery of November 26, 1983 is considered one of the largest robberies in British history. Six armed men broke into the Brink’s-Mat safe deposit box at Heathrow, London. The robbery had been planned with the aim of stealing cash, but an unexpected discovery changed everything: inside the vault were stored tons of gold bars.
Thanks to the complicity of Anthony Black, a security guard who provided the robbers with the access codes, the gang entered without difficulty and immobilized the personnel present. In a few minutes they managed to get hold of an unprecedented loot. The gold was loaded into a van and transported to a secret location, from where it would be melted down and recycled on the black market.
The theft immediately caused a sensation. The British authorities launched a large-scale investigation, but the gold laundering operation was extremely effective. Melting the bars allowed the stolen gold to be put back into circulation, mixing it with other metal, thus making it untraceable. It is estimated that some of the gold ended up in official reserves in the United Kingdom and in jewelers around the world.
Some members of the gang were arrested, including their internal accomplice Anthony Black, who provided crucial information for the investigation. However, most of the loot was never recovered and many of those responsible managed to escape justice.
#2. Carlton Hotel Cannes (2013)
Various jewels (136 million euros)
The robbery at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes, which took place on July 28, 2013, is considered one of the biggest heists in the history of jewelry. The thief, an armed man but without accomplices, managed to steal a collection of jewelry of exceptional value in broad daylight, without firing a single shot.
The theft occurred during an exhibition organized by the Leviev jewelry house, owned by Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev. The thief entered the hotel, forced his way into the room where the jewelry was displayed and, pointing a gun at the staff, took the entire contents of the exhibition. The whole thing lasted little more than a minute.
The investigation revealed that the criminal acted with extraordinary precision, leaving few clues behind. The French police suspected the involvement of the infamous Pink Panthers gang, an international criminal organization specializing in jewelry robberies. However, the case remains unsolved and the jewels have never been recovered.
The episode helped increase the reputation of the Carlton Cannes as a prime target for robbers. The hotel had already been the scene of spectacular robberies in the past, but this remains one of the most profitable in the history of the jewelry business.
#3. Banco Central de Fortaleza (2005)
160 million reals (70 million euros)
The robbery of the Banco Central in Fortaleza, which took place in August 2005, is considered one of the most ingenious and audacious bank robberies in history. Although the theft did not involve gold or precious metals but only cash, given the peculiarity of the robbery and the large amount of loot, I decided to include it anyway. A group of criminals organized the robbery with extraordinary precision, digging an underground tunnel of about 80 meters to reach the bank vault without arousing suspicion.
The gang, which posed as a landscaping company, rented a building near the bank and began digging the tunnel over several months. The passage was well-structured, with lighting and ventilation, allowing the robbers to work undetected. The tunnel opened directly under the Banco Central vault, allowing them to access cash deposits without setting off alarms.
The robbery was carried out between August 6 and 7, during the weekend, when the bank was closed. The thieves completely emptied the vault, taking away a huge amount of money in unregistered banknotes, which made it impossible to trace the loot. When bank employees discovered the theft the following Monday, they found only a devastated safe and a perfectly dug tunnel.
The investigation led to the arrest of some members of the gang, but much of the loot was never recovered. Some suspects were murdered in the following months, probably due to internal score-settling within the criminal group.
#4. WDC Antwerp (2003)
Jewels, gold and cash (100 million euros)
The robbery at the World Diamond Center in Antwerp, which took place between February 15 and 16, 2003, is one of the most spectacular heists ever carried out in the diamond industry. Antwerp, considered the world capital of diamonds, is home to hundreds of ultra-secure vaults and storage facilities in its district, making the theft an almost impossible undertaking. However, a gang of highly skilled thieves, led by the Italian Leonardo Notarbartolo, managed to elude the sophisticated security systems and steal an incredibly valuable loot.
The plan was years in the making. Notarbartolo, posing as a diamond dealer, managed to gain access to the premises and study the security system. The Diamond Center vault was protected by five levels of security, including motion sensors, magnetic locks and surveillance cameras. But the thieves managed to deactivate the alarms, force open the safety deposit boxes and empty them without leaving any obvious traces.
The theft was discovered only on the following Monday, when the diamond dealers found the vaults open and completely emptied. The entire operation was carried out with extraordinary precision, so much so that investigators were initially unable to explain how the thieves had bypassed all the security devices.
Leonardo Notarbartolo was arrested in 2003, but the loot was never recovered. According to his version, the gang was defrauded by a mysterious accomplice who took the diamonds before fleeing.
#5. Lufthansa Flight (1978)
Jewelry and cash ($5.9 million)
The Lufthansa flight robbery, which took place on December 11, 1978 at New York’s JFK Airport, is one of the most famous robberies in American history, also known for its connection to the Italian-American mafia. The robbery was orchestrated by the Lucchese crime family and made gangster James “Jimmy the Gent” Burke famous, whose story inspired Martin Scorsese’s film Goodfellas (1990).
The operation was based on information provided by Louis Werner, a Lufthansa employee heavily in debt from gambling. Werner revealed to the gang that millions of dollars in cash and jewelry from intercontinental flights were stored in a warehouse at JFK Airport.
On the night of the robbery, six armed men broke into the Lufthansa warehouse, immobilized the staff and in less than an hour emptied the safe. All this happened without firing a single shot. After loading the loot into a van, the robbers disappeared into the night.
The FBI launched an immediate investigation, but most of the gang members were eliminated in the following months to prevent leaks. James Burke, believed to be the mastermind, was never formally charged with the theft, but was convicted of other crimes and died in prison in 1996.
#6. Green Vault Dresden (2019)
Diamonds and precious stones (113 million euros)
The Green Vault theft in Dresden on November 25, 2019, is considered one of the most audacious art and jewelry heists in modern history. The Gruenes Gewölbe (Green Vault) is one of the oldest and most prestigious museums in Europe, located in the royal palace in Dresden, Germany. It houses a collection of jewelry, gold artifacts, and precious stones dating back to the 18th century, belonging to the Saxon Wettin dynasty.
The theft occurred at dawn: a group of at least four thieves deactivated the electricity supply to the area, obscuring the surveillance cameras. The criminals forced a window and, once inside, used axes to break the armored windows, stealing priceless jewelry. The entire operation lasted less than eight minutes, after which the thieves fled in a car, which was later found burned to eliminate evidence.
German authorities launched a large-scale investigation, identifying links between the theft and the Remmo crime family, a clan known for similar crimes. In 2022, six suspects were arrested, and in 2023, five of them were convicted. However, many of the jewels have not yet been recovered, fueling fears that they were dismantled and sold on the black market.
#7. Gold of Moscow (1936)
510 tons of gold ($1.5 billion)
Moscow Gold is one of the most controversial episodes in the political and financial history of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). It refers to the transfer of almost all of Spain’s gold reserves from the then Republican government to the Soviet Union, ostensibly for safekeeping during the conflict.
In September 1936, as the war between Republican and Francoist forces intensified, the Frente Popular government, led by Francisco Largo Caballero, decided to transfer the gold reserves of the Bank of Spain to prevent them from falling into the hands of Francisco Franco. With the approval of José Stalin, the gold was loaded onto four ships and sent to the port of Odessa, in the USSR.
Once it reached its destination, the gold was deposited in the Soviet central bank, but only part of it was used to purchase weapons and supplies for the Republic. After the Republican defeat in 1939, General Francisco Franco denounced the transfer as a theft orchestrated by the Communists. Since then, the fate of much of that gold has remained shrouded in mystery, and Spain has never regained possession of it.
#8. Brink’s Securmark Rome (1984)
Cash, jewels and securities (18 million euros)
The robbery at Brink’s Securmark in Rome, which took place on the night between November 4 and 5, 1984, was one of the most spectacular robberies ever carried out in Italy. A highly organized gang of robbers managed to enter the headquarters of Brink’s Securmark, a company specialized in the transportation and storage of valuables, stealing a record sum without firing a single shot.
The robbery was carried out with extreme precision. The robbers entered through the sewers, digging a tunnel that connected the sewer system to the company’s vault. Once inside, they managed to neutralize the alarm systems and open the safe without arousing suspicion.
The next morning, when employees arrived, they found the vault completely empty. The operation had been so quiet and sophisticated that the police initially could not understand how the thieves had entered and exited with such a large amount of money.
The investigations led to the identification of some members of the gang, but most of the loot was never recovered. The Brink’s Securmark robbery remains one of the largest thefts in Italian history to this day.
#9. Banco Central de Argentina (1935)
Cash, gold and securities (100+ of milions of euros)
The 1935 robbery of the Banco Central de Argentina is one of the most mysterious and least documented heists in South American criminal history. Unlike other famous bank robberies, this episode remains shrouded in uncertainty, with little official information and numerous theories about how it was orchestrated.
The incident reportedly took place in Buenos Aires, at the headquarters of the Central Bank of Argentina, the institution that managed the country’s gold reserves and financial stability. It is believed that the thieves used a combination of internal corruption and secret access to penetrate the vaults and withdraw a large sum of money and gold.
According to some sources, the theft was facilitated by collusion between bank officials and corrupt politicians, which would explain why the investigations did not lead to concrete results. Some argue that the theft was deliberately covered up to avoid a collapse of confidence in the Argentine financial system.
Despite the lack of precise details, the robbery at the Banco Central de Argentina remains a legend in the history of major banking heists, with theories ranging from a simple robbery to a high-level orchestrated operation to move funds illicitly.
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