Louvre heist: “Expert” thief: Amateurs hid jewels inside… their butts
Four robbers carried out a daring raid on the Louvre Museum over the weekend, making off with eight pieces of jewelry worth an estimated $102 million. The incident has sparked a strong reaction from French authorities and a wave of speculation about how the thieves may have smuggled the items out of the country.
Larry Lawton, known in the US as one of the most famous jewelry thieves, told The Post that one possible way to get the jewels out of the country is to hide them inside the body, such as in the anus, a technique he said has been used in similar cases. Lawton also described the alleged mistakes of the Louvre heist perpetrators, calling them “amateurs” who made obvious slip-ups, such as leaving footprints and dropping a historic crown during their escape.
The thieves reportedly entered the museum posing as construction workers and used tools including a work truck and a ladder, but attempted to destroy evidence as they fled, including attempting to burn a tool used in the operation. One of the stolen items, an emerald necklace from Marie-Louise’s set, is reported to be among the stolen items.
The Paris police are investigating the incident intensively. Investigators have found evidence of a window and balcony being cut off in a gallery, and are reviewing security camera footage to identify and apprehend the perpetrators. Sources said that during the escape, one of the robbers left behind a glove and another threw and damaged a valuable object – mistakes that, according to experts such as Lawton, increase the chances of identification and arrest.
Lawton, who spent years as a robber and then reformed, said his experiences show that such loot usually requires complicated routes to dispose of from the scene of the crime and that, despite the mistakes made, the perpetrators may have walked away happy in victory, for the time being. He predicts, however, that because of the mistakes, the perpetrators can be identified and arrested quickly.
The incident has caused strong reactions in France and around the world because of the loud noise of the stolen cultural and historical objects. As the investigation continues, police are seeking evidence that will lead to the full clarification of the case and the return of the lost items to the museum.