The theft of jewels from the 'Green Vault' at Dresden Castle, considered one of the major burglaries of modern times, took place on the morning of 25 November 2019. The criminals were filmed inside the museum breaking windows to grab the priceless gems.
The stolen items included ten 18th-century diamond sets, including one of 49 carats part of an epaulet, as well as a sword whose hilt is encrusted with nine large diamonds and 770 small ones. The jewels, acquired by Augustus the Strong, have a total estimated value of over €1 billion £890,000).
On 17 November 2020, authorities arrested three suspects during an operation in the Neukölln district of Berlin, which included 1,600 agents. The individuals, 'strongly suspected' of being involved in the Dresden theft, are of German nationality and two of them allegedly participated in "aggravated organised gang robberies and arson".
See also: The Top 10 Stolen Masterpieces
According to Jürgen Schmidt, spokesperson for the Attorney General of Dresden, one of the suspects was involved in the case of the giant, 220-lb gold coin, stolen from Berlin's Bode-Museum in March 2017. The robbery was attributed to a very active criminal clan in Germany. "I can already confirm that one of the suspects has already been convicted of the theft committed at the Bode-Museum," he said at a press conference, although hopes of finding the coin remain minimal.
Investigators now believe that the two cases are linked and result from the activity of the Remmo clan, a Kurdish family of Lebanese origin well known to the authorities. In Berlin, several families operate in the criminal world and function as powerful organisations. Their reputation had inspired the German television series 4 Blocks.
The jewels of the Green Vault are of 'inestimable' cultural value and have not been found. Thomas Geithner, spokesman for the Dresden police, said that a year after the crime the chances of recovery were very low.
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