Largest diamond heist

In February 2003, a group of Italian thieves robbed the vault of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, getting away with over US$100 m (£82 m) in diamonds, gems and other jewellery. The industry considers it to be the biggest diamond heist in history. The gang, led by mastermind Leonardo Notarbartolo, was later apprehended. The stolen diamonds, however, have never been recovered.

The vault was protected by 10 layers of security, including cameras, infrared sensors, radar, and a 100-million-combination lock. It took Notarbartolo four years of careful planning to figure out how to gain entry. Some of his techniques are still not known, even to the police. Ironic, then, that the gang’s ultimate undoing was DNA evidence left behind on a carelessly discarded sandwich.

Notarbartolo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the crime, but was subsequently released on parole.