Loot of more than 100 million still missing: trial about spectacular diamond robbery from German museum starts | Abroad

The burglary of the Grünes Gewölbe (Green Vault), the museum’s treasury in the Residenzschloss castle in Dresden, caused a stir at the end of 2019 because the thieves were very sophisticated and the loot was worth more than 100 million euros.

The stolen items were “unique and irreplaceable treasures of exceptional cultural and historical importance,” prosecutor Christian Weber emphasized Friday at the opening of the trial.

Early in the morning on 25 November 2019, burglars broke into the Grünes Gewölbe, where they secured their spectacular loot in just eight minutes. They smashed showcases with the jewels and diamonds with an axe. They had switched off the burglar alarm by means of arson and the grille in front of a window of the museum had been cut and replaced a few days earlier.

The thieves made off with crown jewels of Augustus II the Strong aka the ‘Sun King of Saxony’. It concerns jewelry from the eighteenth century, ranging from diamonds and brilliants brooches and epaulettes to a necklace with Saxon pearls and a saber set with 770 diamonds. Together they took 21 objects with a total of more than 4,300 diamonds.

They set their getaway car on fire and left them in a parking garage. _{Read more below the photos.}

The defendants, who were arrested in Berlin in November 2020 after months of video and DNA analysis, belong to a crime gang of Lebanese origin, the “Remmo clan”, which is very active in Germany. The process surrounding the robbery is now surrounded by imposing security measures.

Six defendants, two of whom were minors at the time of the offenses, are on trial for the theft. They risk ten years in prison. Striking detail: two of the suspects are already serving 4.5 years in prison for a previous theft in Berlin. In 2017 they stole a special commemorative coin of no less than 100 kilos of gold with a value of 3.75 million euros.

About 40 other people who were probably also involved in the operation in Dresden are still wanted. German investigators initially also questioned the passive behavior of the four guards of the museum. But for lack of evidence, they have so far been left undisturbed.

Prosecutors have offered $500,000 for the tip that leads to the jewel treasure, but several other cash rewards have also been offered for tips. However, experts fear that the treasure will never be found again. There is a good chance that the stolen gems have been worked on in the time since the theft.

The Grüne Gewölbe (green vault) houses one of the oldest and best-preserved treasure collections in Europe. The treasure was thus created between 1723 and 1730 by Augustus II the Strong, Elector of Saxony. He tried to outdo the Sun King Louis XIV with his impressive collection of jewels.