Hang On To Your Jewels! $53 Million Worth Of Jewelry Stolen From Cannes’ Carlton Hotel

Sunday, a second multi-million dollar jewelry heist took place in Cannes following thefts of $1.4 million of Chopard jewels from a safe and later a $2.6 million De Grisogono (which recently opened a Bal Harbour boutique) necklace in the city in May. $53 million dollars worth of jewels were taken from a Leviev jewelry exhibition in the Carlton Hotel by an armed robber. The gunman, who conducted the crime in the middle of the day, escaped with the goods in a suitcase.

Ironically, the famous Hitchcock film “To Catch A Thief”, about a retired jewel thief was filmed there in 1955. The authorities are pretty sure they know who is behind the thefts – the Eastern European “Pink Panther” gang known for daring thefts including one in 2008 that had the group drilling under a Damiani jewelry showroom in Milan and making off with $20 million in gold and stones after taping up the staff.  Last week, a third member broke out of a Swiss prison holding key Pink Panther members. He was sprung by associates with AK-47s.  Authorities predict a sweep of jewel related crime in Europe, but US and Miami locations heavy with valuable bounty should be on guard with the international organization possible to pop up anywhere.