The investigation into the sophisticated jewel heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris is still actively underway, with authorities racing to locate the stolen treasures valued at $102 million. Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed that while four individuals have been charged with organized robbery and conspiracy, the whereabouts of the jewels remain a mystery. Beccuau, speaking on Franceinfo radio, insisted that detectives are actively pursuing all leads that have surfaced since the probe began, including examining new evidence seized during subsequent searches. She noted that three of the suspects have been definitively linked to the robbery through DNA evidence recovered from the scene and getaway vehicles.
The arrests have focused on individuals identified as petty criminals and blue-collar workers from northern Paris suburbs, not the “upper echelons of organized crime,” according to Beccuau. The initial arrests included a 39-year-old taxi driver and an unemployed 34-year-old former garbage collector. Both men are suspected of being the two thieves who used a truck-mounted mechanical cherry picker to access the second-floor Apollo Gallery and breach the museum using power tools. The 34-year-old was apprehended at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport attempting to flee to Algeria. A subsequent arrest involved a 37-year-old man, whose DNA was found on the cherry picker, and his 38-year-old domestic partner; the 37-year-old has 11 prior convictions, mostly for theft. Two of the charged suspects have “partially admitted their involvement,” Beccuau stated.
Despite the arrests, the likelihood of recovering the jewels intact is diminishing. Christopher Marinello, CEO of Art Recovery International, expressed concern that if the jewels—composed of thousands of diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires—were not found immediately, they have likely been dismantled and broken up for sale on the black market. Marinello cautioned that only the largest stones might be traceable, but these are exactly the ones thieves would dismantle first. He emphasized that the key to locating the haul now depends heavily on the interrogation of the suspects to reveal where the pieces were taken and who their accomplices are.
The prosecutor confirmed that at least one active participant in the brazen robbery remains at large. Importantly, investigators have found no evidence suggesting complicity from anyone working inside the Louvre, which remains closed to the public since the heist. Investigators are now focused on “all aspects of the parallel market” in their efforts to recover the valuable gems, while the suspects charged face serious legal consequences for the high-stakes theft.
Louvre Heist Probe Continues: Jewels Missing as Four Suspects Charged
