10 of the Biggest Heists in History
British Bank of the Middle East
In 1976, amidst the chaos of civil war in Beirut, a group said to be affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization broke into the British Bank of the Middle East. No, they didn’t pick the lock or break a window; instead, they decided to make a grand entrance via a church next door and blow their way through a shared wall. Once inside, they did resort to the knowledge of locksmiths to open the vault and loot somewhere between $20 to $50 million in an assortment of currencies, gold, and jewels.
Fortaleza’s Banco Central, Brazil
In 2005, several men set up a landscaping business in Fortaleza, Brazil. Well, at least that’s how it seemed to the people of Fortaleza. It happened to be located just a couple blocks from the Banco Central. While some of the neighbors noticed trucks hauling dirt away from the “landscaping” business, it wasn’t considered out of the ordinary; after all, don’t plants grow in dirt? Over three months, a well-constructed tunnel, complete with air conditioning, was dug until it reached just beneath the bank.
Finally, their day had come; the group of men dug, sawed, and cut their way through the concrete floor and began their looting. By the end of it all, they had stolen approximately 165 million in Brazilian reals. In today’s exchange rate, that would be over $80 million US dollars. Several of the men suspected in the crime have been arrested or turned up dead; however, several more have never been apprehended.
Antwerp Diamond Center, Belgium
In 2003, one of the largest and most baffling diamond heists took place at the Antwerp Diamond Center in Belgium. It was and is highly regarded as one of the safest places in the world to store gems. Many gem dealers worldwide used the facility to safeguard some of their stock. Antwerp Diamond Center boasts a very high tech and complex security system including motion, heat, light, and seismic sensors. It’s amazing that any thief would be able to get inside, much less make off with approximately $100 million euros worth of diamonds from the safety deposit boxes. Although some of the men responsible have been caught, the diamonds have not been recovered.
Harry Winston, Paris
Harry Winston jewelry store in Paris may be a lovely place to pick out an engagement ring with your sweetheart, but in 2008 it was robbed for over $100 million in diamonds and jewels. Armed men, some in drag, quickly went in, subdued the staff and any shoppers, grabbed the goods and disappeared into the crowded streets all in about a quarter of an hour. No arrests were made in the heist, but it’s highly suspected to have been an inside job due to the speed in which it was executed. Apparently one of the robbers even called a worker by name.
Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam
This heist in 2005 at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam was executed quite smoothly. Thieves, arriving in one already stolen KLM truck, drove up to another KLM truck carrying uncut stones bound for Antwerp. They forced the men driving to lie facedown while they drove off with the goods in the second, now stolen, KLM truck. The value of the stones is difficult to estimate since they were uncut, but could be up to $118 million.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston is the scene of a tremendous heist with an estimated $300 million in artwork stolen in one fell swoop. Two men dressed as policemen knocked on the door, and the guards allowed them inside only to be tied up as they looted famous paintings such as “The Concert” by Johannes Vermeer and “Landscape with an Obelisk” by Govert Flinck as well as works by Degas and Rembrandt. What good is a $300 million dollar heist if you can’t ever get the money for it without getting arrested? Expensive decor, anyone?
Dar Es Salaam Bank, Baghdad
In 2007 a few opportunistic security guards took advantage of their positions at Dar Es Salaam bank in Karrada district, Baghdad. They stole $300 million dollars as well as over $170,000 USD in Iraqi Dinars before leaving work, permanently. That’s quite a severance pay!
Sumitomo Mitsui, Japan
The largest hacker heist that nearly got pulled off was in 2004 when hackers broke into Sumitomo Mitsui, a Japanese bank, and attempted to transfer approximately 423 million to ten different accounts around the world. Fortunately the bank implemented a program in October of 2004 that noticed these transactions and foiled the robbery.
Iraq’s Central Bank
Hours before the US began bombing Iraq in 2003, men affiliated with Saddam Hussein pulled trucks up to Iraq’s Central Bank, and began to load up. Before they were done, they had taken $1 billion dollars from the bank. Now that’s a substantial withdraw!
Treasure of Benghazi, Libya
It has now been reported that the “Treasure of Benghazi” was stolen sometime prior to July of 2011 from Benghazi, Libya. Since it was not announced right away for fear of getting bad press, many of the artifacts are now less likely to be recovered. The thieves drilled their way through the ceiling of an underground vault to get to the treasure. They looted a collection of over 7,000 ancient coins made of gold, silver and bronze. They also stole away with a various assortment of jewelry items, fifty figurines or small monuments made of precious metals, and a small cache of precious stones. Because of the items which were stolen while others in the vault were left untouched, it’s suspected that it was an inside job. The value of all the items missing are considered “priceless”.
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