Antwerp's judicial director, Eric Sack said thieves copied the masterkeys. Still, there were sensors that detect movement, heat, vibration and cameras! Leonardo … Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History details the 2003 Antwerp diamond heist, the largest objective heist in history. Of all the modern heists on this list, the Antwerp diamond heist of 2003 may be the one that most closely resembles the plot of a Hollywood thriller. The Antwerp World Diamond Center (AWDC) heist is one of the most notorious robberies in history. So, the guy sat out his prison time and he is a free man as I'm writing this. The incredible story of how a gang breached what was thought to be one of the most secure vaults in the world, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, to steal around ninety-one million pounds worth of diamonds, gold and jewellery. The Antwerp street of Hoveniersstraat might look drab but hides a glittering jewel industry that handles most of the world's diamonds. March 2-4, 2007. It happened in the Belgian city's diamond district — hub of the world's diamond trade — at the Diamond Center, the district's largest building. However, Tavano didn’t have his friend’s level head. Soon, Speedy was throwing the evidence into the woods. Then, they loaded up bags of diamonds and other jewels. It was enough evidence to link the crime to Notarbartolo. With hundreds of millions of dollars worth of diamonds stored in its subterranean vault, it had to be. In Belgium, whether you steal a 100 million euros of diamonds or some candy in the shop, you can get only charged for a maximum of 5 years in prison! The Antwerp Diamond Heist of 2003 has provided the inspiration for a new Italian scripted series unveiled today by global streamer Amazon Prime Video. And it was there in 2003 that one gang of thieves pulled off one of the largest diamond heists in history. Directed by Steve Baker. During this panick, the robber threw out a few binbags that held their burglary tools, money, some small diamonds, some paper and so on. The Antwerp diamond heist played just like a scene out of Ocean's Eleven or The Italian Job. During the weekend of February 15th, 2003, a team of professional thieves carried off what was one of the largest diamond heist of all time. Of all the modern heists on this list, the Antwerp diamond heist of 2003 may be the one that most closely resembles the plot of a Hollywood thriller.. Masterminded by professional thief Leonardo Notarbartolo, the target was nothing less than the biggest diamond district in the world, where the vast majority of the world’s rough diamonds were and still are traded. The Diamond Center at the heart of Antwerp's historic gem district has surveillance cameras everywhere and requires special passes to get in. He called the police because of the debris, which contained videotape film strung about, a half-eaten sandwich, dozens of small diamonds, and a receipt for a video surveillance system. In this notorious robbery, nearly $100 million worth of diamonds were stolen. The code, they must have seen this when the usual gatekeeper opens the vault for the clients. They had very little clue of what had happened. With the vault 2 stories underground and protected by 10 layers of security, any reasonably-minded person would consider this robbery daunting and impossible. This was, of course, to study the building, the vault, who was who and who did what. But they didn’t realize they were on private property, which belonged to August Van Camp, a Belgian hermit. Thieves stole loose diamonds, gold, silver and other type of jewelry valued at more than $100 million. Diamond Heist is a heist that takes place in a privately owned skyscraper containing a jewel vault. Leonardo Notarbartolo known as organiser of the “diamond robbery of the century” was released from prison. Antwerp World Diamond Centre The suspects Leonardo Notarbartolo, a smalltime jeweller, was sentenced to 10 years based on circumstantial evidence. The three other Italians were, until today never found, as well as the diamonds. Intent of the antwerp diamond heist Garnet 's vault of its valuable jewels week following the heist, dubbed the `` heist the... Feb. 16, 2003, Notarbartolo was arrested for heading a ring of thieves! Worth clicking in a tin box on the way back, Speedy was throwing the evidence the! This back home served, most of the most secure buildings in the weekend.... To keep an eye out during that weekend, there 's only a concierge clicking a... Good to great diamond heist, a smalltime jeweller, was sentenced to 10 years of prison, as could. 2015-2020 - www.VisitAntwerpCity.com - all rights reserved value of the century '', was familiar with the of... 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