Top 10 Biggest Heists of All Time
#10: Crown Jewels Robbery
Value of Heist Incalculable Colonel Thomas Blood is one of the boldest and most dastardly men in the history of the United Kingdom. On May 9th, 1671 he infiltrated the Tower of London with three other men and proceeded to steal the Crown Jewels of England; which included a crown (duh), an orb and a scepter. On their way out Blood got himself captured but promptly declared: “I’ll answer to none but the King himself.” Blood was well aware that King Charles had a soft spot for courageous rogues and believed himself capable of talking his way out of his unfortunate predicament. And it worked! The King not only pardoned him, but also gave him lands in Ireland.
#9: Wilcox Train Robbery
$1.4 million They didn’t call it the Wild West for nothing! On June 2nd, 1899 members of the infamous Hole-in-the-Wall-Gang flagged down a Union Pacific train in Southeastern Wyoming, stopping it in its tracks. They then proceeded to separate the carriages from the locomotive, blow the bridge, and empty the safe of what would now amount to roughly 1 to $1.4 million dollars. Of course, robberies of this kind persisted into the 20th century, as proven by the Great Train Robbery of 1963, in which a Royal Mail train en route to London was relieved of close to $65 million dollars in today’s money!
#8: Brinks Mat Warehouse Robbery
$111 Million One of the largest heists in modern history, the Brinks Mat Warehouse Robbery saw roughly $111 million dollars worth of diamonds, cash and gold stolen from the Heathrow International Trading Estate, located close to Heathrow Airport, 40 minutes west of London. Much of the loot belonged to Johnson Matthey Bankers Ltd, a chemicals company founded more than 200 years ago. Six men, two of whom were ultimately convicted and sent to prison, pulled off the job. However, the majority of the gold bullion that was stolen was never recovered. Many films and documentaries were made about the infamous robbery in the ensuing years.
#7: British Bank of the Middle East Heist
$133 Million The year was 1976, the place, Beirut. And on January 20th one of the biggest heists ever was pulled off at the British Bank of the Middle East. A group of men with ties to the Palestine Liberation Organization burst through one of the banks walls and proceeded to relieve its vault of what is estimated to be $133 million dollars in today’s currency. This included gold bars, jewels, and enough foreign currency to bankroll more than a few trips around the world. The loot was promptly transferred out of the country and those involved were never apprehended.
#6: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Theft
$500 Million On St. Patrick’s Day 1990, two men dressed as police officers waltzed into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, tied up the guards and proceeded to steal 13 works of art. Notable pieces that were stolen included The Concert by Vermeer, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt as well as works by Manet and Degas. The total value of their plunder: $500 million dollars. The men involved were never apprehended and to this day the museum has a standing offer to pay a massive reward to anyone with information that will lead to the paintings; safe recovery. Talk about a pair of smooth criminals!
#5: Pink Panthers Ring
Over $500 million When an international network of jewel thieves began plundering the world of its most precious valuables, what do you think Interpol decided to call them? Why the Pink Panthers of course! Named after the popular “Pink Panther” film series, the organization has been behind numerous thefts all over the world, from Switzerland to France to the U.S. to Japan. One of their most famous heists involved four men dressing up like women and robbing the Harry Winston jewelry store in Paris of more than $105 million dollars in jewels. The big problem with these guys is that they keep escaping from prison, with numerous breakouts having occurred over the years!
#4: Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Burglary
$270 Million On the first weekend of April in 2015, a group of men disabled an elevator shaft, repelled down and then drilled through a vault with a power drill to enter the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company. The underground facility was home to hundreds of millions worth of valuables, much of which was stolen by the gang over the course of the weekend. The men involved were ultimately caught a few months later, with all but one of them being sentenced to lengthy prison terms. The heist has been dubbed the "largest burglary in English legal history."
#3: The Antwerp Diamond Heist
$100 Million Trust is an important part of any robbery. Just ask Leonardo Notarbartolo. He posed as an Italian diamond dealer for years in Antwerp’s diamond district as a means to an end. Once he was firmly established within the community, he and his team struck. To this day, police investigators don’t know exactly how Notarbartolo and his gang of thieves got into the Antwerp World Diamond Center, but they do know that after the weekend of February 15th, 2003, 123 of 160 of the safety deposit boxes were relieved of their contents when all was said and done. While Notarbartolo was ultimately arrested, the stolen diamonds have yet to be recovered.
#2: Russian Hacking Ring
$1 Billion For all its benefits, technology also has its drawbacks - one of which is the ability for people to remotely target financial institutions for their own monetary gain. A Russian hacking ring has been behind a reported $1 billion dollars in thefts in the 2010s. A Russian cybersecurity company first discovered their crimes in 2014, but no arrests have ever been made. The hackers infect banks with their malware through phishing emails and occasionally program ATMs to dispense cash as they see fit. All the more reason to make sure your protection is up to date!
#1: Central Bank of Iraq Heist
$1 Billion In March of 2003, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ordered his son Qusay Hussein to enter the Central Bank of Iraq and remove close to $1 billion dollars. The United States was days away from invading and Hussein felt it was prudent to secure his financial future. So, without further ado, Qusay had the money removed from the bank and loaded onto trucks; an operation that would take five hours to complete; a testament to just how much money was being stolen. You know you’re the son of an all-powerful dictator when you can steal a billion dollars in cash armed with nothing more than a handwritten note from your dad.