Dresden jewelry trial.Photo: JENS SCHLUETER/POOL/AFP via Getty
Five men have been convicted of a $123 million jewel heist in Dresden, Germany.
Among the items stolen were a 38-inch sword and a sheath, embellished with over 800 diamonds, and a diamond-encrusted hat clasp from the 1780’s. Most of the artifacts taken were created during the reign of Frederick Augustus III, later known as Frederick Augustus I, the first King of Saxony.
Green Vault in Dresden.Sebastian Kahnert/picture alliance via Getty
Dresden’s Green Vault famously houses a collection of other irreplaceable historical artifacts, including some of the world’s most treasurable ornaments, crystalware and goblets carved from gilded Ostrich eggs.
In total, the crooks stole an estimated 4,300 diamonds, reportedReuters.
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Speaking at the time of the heist, Marion Ackermann, director of Dresden’s State Art Collection said the value of the items didn’t compare to their “incalculable” cultural importance, reported local news outletMDR.
Items taken from the Green Vault in Dresden.J’rgen Karpinski/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
On Monday, the five defendants were all jailed for six years for their role in the heist. This included Rabieh Remo, one of the main perpetrators, who received six years and two months in prison, reportedDW.
His accomplice, Wissam Remmo — who was previously convicted of stealing a $4 million gold coin from Berlin’s Bode museum in 2017 — received six years and three months.
Bashir Remmo meanwhile received five years and 10 months, and an unnamed defendant received four years and four months in prison under the Juvenile Criminal Code.
Four of the gang had their sentences reduced after they confessed to the crime and returned some of the stolen jewelry. Five further defendants were given lighter sentences for their role in the heist, following a plea bargain, MDR added.
Green Vault in Dresden.Jens Schlueter/Getty
“This has closed part of the wound in our treasury and the perpetrators have been rightfully convicted,” Saxon Minister of Culture Barbara Klepsch shared after the verdicts, per MDR.
Others, however, weren’t as happy with the sentences. While a number of pieces from the heist have been returned, others remain missing. This includes a precious stone known as the Dresden White Diamond, per Reuters.
“It was a signal from the rule of law that crime was worthwhile to some extent,” Benjamin Jendro of the Berlin police union told MDR after the sentencing. “[The defendants] come out of prison after a few years made men and still have loot hidden somewhere that they turned into money.”
source: people.com
