Most jewels stolen in $120 million German museum heist recovered. Details here

The German Police have recovered most of the jewels stolen in the $120 million heist in 2019 from a historic Dresden art collection. The pieces stolen from one of Europe’s greatest art collections reportedly contained more than 4,300 diamonds.

The update comes amid the trial of six suspects over the night-time raid on the Green Vault Museum in the eastern city of Dresden’s Royal Palace. Suspects on trial for the raid are said to be members of the so-called “Remmo clan”, an extended family known for a web of ties to organised crime in Germany.

The theft was linked to a collection created in 1723 by Saxony’s ruler, Augustus the Strong, BBC reported.

How did the police recover the antique jewels?

“Exploratory talks” between the lawyers of the suspects and the prosecution towards a possible settlement and the return of the stolen items led to a breakthrough, police, and prosecutors said. In an initial inspection, investigators found that several pieces appeared to be intact, among them the hat decoration and star of the Polish Order of the White Eagle from the stolen diamond set.

The items were transferred to Dresden under the protection of special police forces, where they’ll be examined forensically and then by specialists from the Dresden State Art Collections to check their authenticity.

Similar incidents of theft

The Dresden incident was one of several heists carried out at German museums in recent years. In November, thieves broke into a museum in Bavaria and made off with nearly 500 ancient gold coins worth several million euros.

In 2020, a Berlin court convicted three men of stealing a 100-kilogram (220-pound) gold coin worth $4 million from a museum in the center of the German capital.

German officials believe the heist was well-planned and professionally carried out. Before breaking into the museum, the thieves set fire to a circuit-breaker panel, plunging the streets around the museum into darkness, BBC reported.