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Police outside the Carlton hotel, in Cannes after the heist. Lionel Cironneau/AP
daylight robbery
Update: Cannes jewel heist worth over €100 million
The heist took place in broad daylight at a diamond exhibition at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes.
5.22pm, 29 Jul 2013
13.7k
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Updated 17:22
AN ARMED MAN stole jewels with an estimated value of €103 million in a brazen heist in broad daylight at a diamond exhibition in the French Riviera resort of Cannes yesterday, investigators said.
The hold-up, at the Carlton Hotel on the promenade in Cannes, famous for its annual film festival, would be the second largest ever in France if the value of the jewels is confirmed.
Authorities said the robbery took place around 11:30am local time and targeted an exhibition entitled “Extraordinary Diamonds” by the Leviev jewellery house.
A lone gunman, wearing a baseball cap with his face hidden by a “bandana or scarf”, entered the hotel through a front entrance undisturbed as security guards patrolled the premises, according to the prosecutor’s office.
“It all happened very quickly and without any violence,” it said, adding that the robber, armed with a semi-automatic pistol, escaped with a briefcase containing jewels and watches encrusted with diamonds.
The worth of the haul had initially been estimated as €40 million but after an inventory of the exhibition, prosecutors in Grasse near Cannes have concluded it is valued at the much higher €103.
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Exhibition
Police said they had not been alerted that the exhibition was taking place, which while not a legal requirement would ordinarily be standard procedure for luxury hotels such as the Carlton.
The “Extraordinary Diamonds” exhibition was held in a wing of the hotel with direct access to the street.
Huge posters of the diamonds with images of pink flowers had been affixed to the walls to advertise the jewels’ presence to the public.
On its website, Leviev, which opened its first jewellery store in London on Old Bond Street in 2006, claims to have access to stones “among the most outstanding in the world.”
An inventory was now underway, and should be completed today, a source close to the investigation said. The estimate of 40 million could not be confirmed, but “tens of millions of euros” were likely to have been lost, the source said.
The management at the Carlton Hotel declined to comment when contacted by AFP, saying they had “instructions not to say anything.”
The Carlton was the location for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 Oscar-winning thriller “To Catch A Thief”, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly.
The diamond heist was one of the largest in recent years in France.
A dedicated transport police, more prisons and harsher sentences would go a long way in keeping our bus and rail staff safe from the absolute sc um that spoil travel for everyone.
@Tony Doran: when I was a bus driver, by far the most common offenders for antisocial behaviour carried social welfare ‘free travel’ cards. Anyone with these who cause trouble should have them withdrawn permanently.
@Tony Doran: would be great in an ideal world but we already don’t have enough Gardai as it is so can’t see how we could create a new police force aswell
@The busman 31: I use a fT card as a person with disabilities. I have hidden disabilities and git hassled a lot by bus drivers with chips on the shoulder about me having a card as I was not visibly disabled.
I have had more than one apology from Dublin Bus and garage managers.
The NBRU became the first union in the world ti have disability inclusion in its core beliefs, which has helped a lot
@Tony Doran: more prisons and harsher sentences has not worked in the US or anywhere else it is implemented. I don’t have the solution, I am just pointing out your conclusion has shown not to work and it’s indisputable really in the evidence of it not working. Societal pressures and education would be more effective but again won’t work by itself.
Would love to know how much we’re paying this private company over the trail period? This information not important enough for the article (of course).
@Gary Kearney: I see, from what I can gather it’s state ‘answerable’ with some novelty positions assigned by the Transport Minister, but is now owned by a Australian pensions fund? (the bought from a UK company)… fair enough, a good measure of how much we hate paying for anything perhaps!… Why would they invest in infrastructure (Aussies) probs getting the money they need, harvesting our sorrow.
In Ireland, the people who are helped the most by the state and by our taxes, people on welfare, people with free houses, etc, are the ones who actually cause trouble, in a very twisted way of mind.
In Finland or Denmark, for example, these people cause no trouble and they are humble and grateful for the help by the society.
In our little country it’s the other way around, the more free help you get the more sc um you are.
@Chris: so well put…and around the country its getting bad as the free travel has hoardes of this kind going to visit their cousins council houses in other counties.
@Chris: If they made antisocial behaviour a part of the conditions for the welfare system we’d be in a better place, but we’ve not built anything in the Transport space for decades, even through the Celtic Tiger years, we we’re more concerned with shiny toys than roads or trains.
@Chris: Funny but I am one of those people who gets help from the state and I do appreciate it. I worked all my life until I no longer could.
I live under the poverty line and it can be very difficult at times but it could be worse.
To hear such generalisation from you is sadly the norm.
Wrong of course but it suits the narrative you believe.
@Dec Hardy: Hoards of people traveling to see their families.
Oh the terror of it all.
I know people with free travel who use it as the trains are warmer than being at home, same as the library.
@Gary Kearney: My father told me that back in the day, during winter, you couldn’t get into Pearse St Library because of all the people in there for warmth!
Useless the Gardaí are the only ones that should be patrolling buses not private security. Powerless guys in high viz vests about as useful as an ashtray on a bike.
@Adrian Aungier: So you want to pay gardai to stand on buses all day? Any type of security guard is a deterrent, and between a lad just graduated from templemore versus some of those eastern European lads that work security on the Dart, I know which one the scrotes would be more afraid of!
@Jason Memail: That is literally what most people want, until they see the bill and then it’s back to ‘money for the boys’ argument. We’re intolerable really.
Does two units,mean that only two buses will have security guards? If it does mean that , it’s typical of who is in charge!! Give them something to keep them quiet..
@Buster Lawless: Smoking was allowed on the buses back then and the cannabis that was used is closer to medicinal cannabis than the stuff they use now.
Medicinal cannabis like stem cells have proven to be game changers in pain management.
The scheme will be based on the UNIFIL model in Lebanon – any transgressors will be requested to desist, and if they refuse, they will receive a stern reprimand in the post.
Nonsensical & farcical. The equivalent of putting a band aid over a bullet wound. Cannot remember the last time I was on a bus that was checked for fare evasion. During the pandemic they were happy to do it with gardai present, since then, nothing. Will these cars be responding to calls from drivers & passengers?
Will they be present on routes that have low rates of anti social behaviour for photo ops or Will they venture out on routes into areas where the feral youth & usual suspects do whatever they want? I certainly hope so. Ireland needs dedicated transport police. Garda traffic corps doesn’t seem too interested in doing their job.
People whinged about anti-social behaviour on buses whilst crying that something should be done. Now action has been taken and they are still whining. The Journal comments section never fails. Baaaaa. Baaaaa. Baaaaa.
Complete an utter waste of time.
All the scrotes know these a powerless lads in a hi viz that can not put a finger on them. No powers to even detain somebody. Security in this country need to be given more powers if its ever going to work.
Spare the rod and spoil the child! Hopefully it’ll all work! Speaking of which, if every person between 14 and 60 had to go do some work for 8 hours a day the crime rate would be halved in a day!!. ” devil makes work for idle hands ” as they say..time to stop people with 300 previous convictions getting to 301! The justice system needs to wake up!! 300 crimes is 300 victims or more!. Ban them from the buses on the first instance and jail them for 6 months on the second offence, you and I know they will be back to commit it!! Its in their nature!! Wait till the claims start pouring in for hurting their feelings by escorting them off the bus..! I was late your honour cos I was thrown off da buses!
@Nuala Ryan: it’s not on every transport what’s the point in having it because it’s cost two much money to run as usual only happens in Ireland it’s a joke this country is finished
@Paul C: Don’t forget it is reported murder which is probably way higher for Mexico. Also crime rates are 20 to 50 times higher. He is smoking something good. Maybe next he will tell us that Johannesburg is even safer?
Keep forking out cash to those who refuse to work. Apart from the huge chip on their shoulder, they are the entitled brigade. If I can’t have it you won’t either. That’s why bike thefts are so rampant. Stop the benefits.
Ryan is afraid of making a call on this issue. It looks bad on them for the next election as they want the reputation as the party that cares.
Which is not what they are at all.
We used to have conductors taking care of things onboard the buses until some genius decided that it would be cheaper to let the driver do all the work. It’s a shame it didn’t work but at least now they’re realizing that maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to get rid of them.
There are always rail securities hanging around at those electric gates at Connolly station and big crowd of ticket inspectors. Never seen them giving a fine to anyone nor telling to behave. If a big crowd going without tickets – they just rushing to open gates for them as perfect servants but definitely not securities and inspectors. Really shameful to watch. Those electric gates should be removed not to humiliate so called securities and ticket inspectors – instead of giving fines they assist those who doesn’t pay or behave like animals.
It sure sounds like a good idea but there’s one huge obstacle which will undo the work of the security staff, police etc: (drum roll) I give you… martin nolan. Nuff said.
Who is “cobalt”. I’m pretty sure myself who is the useful idiot of Putin is but unfortunately the libel laws stop me from writing my guess. Perhaps someone under Dail privilege could out them.
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