So what do you do with $50 million in stolen diamonds?
Today News : estimated $50 million worth of diamonds lifted from the cargo hold of a Swiss jetliner on a Brussels runway.
And the gaudy booty, which experts said could probably fit in a shoebox, shouldn't be too hard to sell — if the price is right.
"It is impossible to say what the thieves will do," says Caroline De Wolf, spokeswoman for the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, the heist's victim. "In any case, rough or polished, (both types were taken) it is virtually impossible to trace the stolen diamonds."
Harry Levy, president of London Diamond Bourse, says the crooks may already have sold the diamonds, but probably will get only 20% to 30% of their true value.
"The quicker they move the diamonds into the normal distribution system, the safer the crooks are," Levy says.
If they are uncut diamonds, the thieves will likely send them to cutting centers in India, Israel, South Africa and the USA.
"It is impossible to trace a rough diamond. They would just be fitted into the supply chain with no problem," Levy says. "With $200 million going out every day, to put $50 million of rough diamonds into the system is not that complicated."
For the polished diamonds it's a bit more complex, he said.
At some stage, the police will have a list of all of the stolen diamonds — describing the weight, physical measurements, shape, color code, clarity code and other measurable factors.
If there are any larger stones, 5 carats and upward, the criminals will likely repolish them to disguise them by changing the weight and size slightly.
"There are so many stones in the system you really have to be looking out for a stolen stone," Levy says. "A large outlet will have to devote at least one member to look at every stone that comes in — and hundreds of stones are coming in every day."
After they disguise the larger stones, the bandits might smuggle the goods to the Far East, especially Hong Kong and Dubai, where they could easily put them into the chain, Levy says.
"The chances of those stones of being recovered are slim, and if they are it will be one here or one there," Levy says. "Only a few will be recovered."
Authorities in Belgium have released some details of the theft.
A spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutor's office, Anja Bijnens, said the armed and masked men used two vehicles in their daring raid under cover of darkness late Monday and within minutes made their way to the plane on the tarmac at Brussels Airport, took the cache of stones and drove off into the night.
Police found a burned-out vehicle close to the airport later Monday night but said they were still looking for clues.
An airport spokesman said the robbers made a hole in the perimeter fence, and drove right up to the Swiss passenger plane that was ready to leave. The robbers got out of the car, flashed their weapons and took the loot from the hold, airport spokesman Jan Van Der Crujsse said.
Without firing a shot they drove off through the same hole in the fence, completing the spectacular theft within minutes, he said.
File photograph of rough, uncut diamonds.(Photo: USA TODAY)
Van Der Crujsse could not explain how the area could be so vulnerable to theft. "We abide by the most stringent rules," he said.
The Swiss flight, operated by Helvetic Airways, was canceled after the robbery. Swiss, an affiliate of Germany's Deutsche Lufthansa AG, declined to comment on the heist, citing the ongoing judicial investigation.
The insurance for air transport — handled sometimes by airlines themselves or external insurance companies — is usually relatively cheap because it's considered to be the safest way of transporting small, high-value items, logistics experts say.
Contributing: Associated Press
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