When experts recall the most notorious jewelry heist in modern history, they talk about the tunneling into Hatton Garden in London or the Antwerp, Belgium, break-in that took months of planning.
Then there is the case of the heist earlier this month at the Flying J truck stop along Interstate 5 in the Grapevine.
In the early hours of July 11, two armed guards left their Brink's big rig, giving a gang of thieves a 27-minute window to make the huge snatch, its total value still a mystery. Estimates range from $10 million to $100 million.
The team of burglars bypassed the truck's locking mechanism and used the storage containers to haul away precious gems, gold and other valuables from a Brink's tractor-trailer, say multiple law enforcement sources not authorized to discuss the crime.
How much the thieves netted during the 2 a.m. snatch is hotly debated. Brink's said it was less than $10 million based on the insurance. A federal law enforcement source and some associated with the International Gem and Jewelry Show world said the total appears to be closer to $100 million.
"We are talking multi millions here. It is a huge amount of money," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau Sgt. Michael Mileski, a veteran of investigating armored car and bank capers. Mileski said the $10 million is a base, and it is expected to escalate.
The question is how the thieves got into the truck and whether they knew in advance about the valuables inside. Given the less than half an hour window, he said, "we believe several thieves had to be involved."
The crime didn't match the usual definition of a heist because it did not involve a robbery so much as stealth burglary.
The gang of thieves was able to quickly bypass the truck's trailer locking mechanism, enter its vast back and unload a series of storage containers filled with jewelry, diamonds other precious gems, and a plethora of Rolexes and other designer watches, Mileski said. The investigator said he wouldn't describe the locking mechanism but acknowledged it would not be exceedingly difficult to crack. Outward signs of the riches inside were not obvious. But Mileski said the guards driving such trucks are openly carrying firearms and that could alert someone watching trucks.
Arnold Duke, president of the International Gem and Jewelry Show whose exhibitors displayed the items in San Mateo and were moving them to Pasadena, said the truck contained many 70- to 100-pound plastic containers filled with jewelry, gems and watches.
"We are looking at more than $100 million in documented losses," he said. "This was an absolutely huge crime. One of the largest jewelry heists ever. We are talking gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and loads of luxury watches."
"There were 15 exhibitors each with $5 [million] to $10 million in merchandise," he added. "These are small businesses with their entire wealth vested in that truck. It has destroyed them financially and it affected their health in some cases."
