2013 Carlton Cannes heist
Armed robbery on the French Riviera
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The Cannes jewel heist was an armed robbery at the Carlton Intercontinental Hotel[1] in Cannes, a city on the French Riviera.[2] The thief stole gemstones and watches ultimately valued at $136 million (€103 million/£89 million).[3] (Initial estimates had only reached $53 million (€37–38 million/£33-34 million), as they had not taken into account another room in the hotel).[3]
$136 million total
The hotel where the theft took place | |
| Date | 28 July 2013 |
|---|---|
| Outcome | $56 million initial estimate $136 million total |
| Suspects | Milan Poparic (member of the Pink Panthers) |
Theft
The valuables were stolen from a private hotel salon,[4] which was very poorly guarded,[3] the guards having no weapons.[1] The jewels were present due to a display by Israeli billionaire Lev Avnerovich Leviev.[5]
The armed thief was described as having a baseball cap and scarf,[3] carrying a handgun.[6] The theft initiated a manhunt but no arrests were made.[6] Milan Poparic, a known member of the Pink Panthers, an organized crime gang, has been suggested as a potential suspect, having escaped prison days before the heist.[1] According to reporting by investigative journalist Ryan Jacobs, most believe the thief was unlikely to be acting on his own.[5][7]
The thief, carrying a handgun, entered the salon through a french door, which might have been forced or left open,[6] and picked up a sack[4] containing 72 jewels, 34 of which have been described as exceptional,[4][8] in a suitcase.[1] The heist has been called the biggest heist ever in France,[8] and possibly the biggest heist of all time.[5] The theft was at the same hotel where Alfred Hitchcock's 1955 film To Catch a Thief was set.[9]
The robbery was the third in the Riviera over a short period, following the theft from the Cannes Film Festival of jewels worth $1.4 million, and the theft of a $1.9 million necklace.[7]
Reward
10 days after the heist,[8] SW Associates, working for the insurers Lloyd's of London,[6] offered a $1.3 million (€1 million) reward to the first person to give information leading to recovery of the stolen items,[6] and released images of some of the stolen jewellery.[10]