Police raids in German city of Essen linked to 2019 Dresden jewellery robbery
- In 2019, two thieves broke into Dresden’s Green Vault museum via a window, making off with diamonds and gemstones worth more than US$128 million
- On Friday, six people went on trial in Dresden for allegedly carrying out the plot. The trial is taking place under strict security
Authorities have searched properties in the German city of Essen, in what security sources say are raids linked to a robbery at one of the country’s most opulent museums.
The public prosecutor’s office in the city of Dresden – home to the Green Vault museum, which was robbed in November 2019 – confirmed that they had conducted raids in Essen but did not comment further.
Forces from the eastern state of Saxony, of which Dresden is the capital, and the western state of North Rhine Westphalia, where Essen is located, were deployed for the operation, the sources said.
On November 25, 2019, two thieves broke into the Green Vault via a window and smashed a display case with an axe before making off with treasures dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries.
Some 4,300 diamonds and other gemstones were stolen and never found again. The loot had a total value of more than €113 million (US$128 million).
On Friday, six people went on trial in Dresden for allegedly carrying out the plot. The trial is taking place under strict security.
Meanwhile, the special commission “Epaulette,” named after one of the looted pieces, is continuing its investigation.
Arrests in Germany over spectacular ‘billion-dollar jewel heist’
According to the commission’s report, there are reasonable initial suspicions against a further 40 suspects, including four security guards and four others who may have helped the perpetrators.
Prosecutors believe that the break-in was organised by Berlin’s Remmo Clan, an extended family believed to also be responsible for the theft of a gold coin weighing 100 kilograms from Berlin’s Bode Museum in 2017.
The coin has likewise never been recovered.
