In Berlin, German police have recovered 31 individual items stolen in what has been described as “the world’s biggest gem heist” – the 2019 robbery of 4,300 diamonds, with an insured value of at least $129 million, from Dresden’s Royal Palace in November of 2019.
Currently, six men are on trial – all German nationals aged 22 to 28. The trial began on January 28, ,and the men are accused of organized robbery and arson. The robbers started a fire to cut the power supply to street lights before the heist.
According to news reports, there have been “exploratory talks” between the defense and the prosecution about a possible settlement. The return of 31 of the stolen items has been described by the police and prosecutors as a “breakthrough.”
The heist occurred in November 2019 at Dresden’s royal palace as “security guards watched raiders live on CCTV” smashing their way into The Green Vault in the palace. They then took off with a treasure trove of diamonds and jewelry, among them “the famous 18th century 49-carat Dresden white diamond bought by August the Strong, then Elector of Saxony,” (valued at $12 million) and a sword encrusted with nine large and 770 smaller diamonds.
