Five individuals have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their involvement in what German media has dubbed the largest art heist in modern history. The audacious theft took place in 2019 at the Gruenes Gewoelbe (Green Vault) museum in Dresden, Germany, where artworks valued at over 113 million euros ($123 million) were stolen.
The gang responsible for the heist belongs to the notorious criminal network known as the Remmo family from Berlin. They meticulously planned the operation, repeatedly visiting the museum beforehand and preparing their entry point. Using a hydraulic cutting machine, they dismantled a section of cast-iron guttering in advance, sawing through the bars of a protective window covering and then taping them back into place for a swift entry during the heist.
To create a distraction, they set fire to a circuit breaker panel near the museum, causing a blackout in the surrounding streets. Two men took advantage of the darkness to slip inside the museum using flashlights. One of them used an axe to break the glass display cases, taking at least nine swings. They stole millions of dollars’ worth of jewels and used a foam fire extinguisher to conceal their tracks before fleeing the scene in an Audi. The car was later abandoned and burned, and they escaped to Berlin in a different vehicle.
The Remmo family is an infamous organized crime gang of Arab origin referred to as a “clan” by the German media. They were previously found guilty of stealing a massive gold coin weighing over 100 kilograms from Berlin’s Bode Museum in 2017, a crime for which they were convicted last year. The coin has never been recovered and is believed to have been either broken up or melted down.
The stolen artifacts from the Green Vault included approximately 4,300 diamonds and other precious stones from 21 diamond-studded items. The collection housed a remarkable assortment of historical jewelry and precious ornaments. Notably, the famous 41-carat green diamond known as the Dresden Green was on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City at the time of the heist and was not present in the museum.
In court, out of the six suspects believed to be involved, five were convicted. The individuals, all in their twenties and from Germany, faced charges including aggravated arson, dangerous bodily injury, theft with weapons, damage to property, and intentional arson. Their sentences ranged from four to six years, with the highest sentence given to Wissam R, 26, and Rabieh R, 29. The sixth suspect, who had an alibi and pleaded not guilty, was acquitted.
Although a significant portion of the stolen loot was recovered and returned to the museum following confessions from three of the men, several items remain missing. Among the missing artifacts is a rare diamond called the White Stone of Saxony. Additionally, the returned artifacts suffered some damage. Estimators believe the break-in alone caused more than one million euros ($1,088,660) worth of damage.
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