10 of the Biggest Heists in History

Nothing beats a good heist movie. Watching a bunch of criminals attempt a sophisticated bank robbery or hijack an armored car is lots of fun and always makes for great viewing. Many of the best heist movies, like Michael Mann’s Heat, pitting Robert de Niro’s career criminal against Al Pacino’s workaholic cop, and Ben Affleck’s The Town, are fantastic action-packed movies inspired by real-life crimes and criminals. These hit flicks got us thinking about the biggest heists in history and how they captured the public’s imagination. 

Unlike in the movies, real-life heists often take weeks or months of planning, making sure every detail is covered. The biggest heists in history netted millions in cash, gold, diamonds, and other expensive goods and made those carrying out the robberies very rich. But just like in the movies, many of those involved never got the chance to spend the millions, often being killed during the robbery or caught by police soon after. 

To highlight these massive heists, here’s a look at ten of the biggest and boldest robberies that have occurred across the world. We have only included heists that were actually successful, so you won’t find any details about the Millennium Dome raid that was thwarted by police in 2000 or the SMBC London robbery that almost saw computer hackers make off with an astounding $400 million.

10 of the Biggest Heists in History

10. Brink’s-Mat Robbery – $40 Million

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At the time when this heist was committed in 1983, it was declared “the crime of the century.” Six men broke into the Brink’s-Mat warehouse near Heathrow Airport and stole a reported $40 million worth of cash, gold bullion, and diamonds. It was eight times more than the gang had expected.

The crew gained access to the warehouse thanks to Brink’s-Mat security guard Anthony Black, who was in on the robbery. Once inside the gang poured petrol on the employees and threatened to set them on fire if they didn’t reveal the codes to the vaults. 

It took 14 months before the police got anywhere with their inquiries, and they only caught a break after Black accidentally passed on the name of one of the robbers to a detective. Eventually, all the crooks were either arrested or killed and sentenced to various jail terms. The majority of the gold was never found.

9. The Banco Central Robbery – $71 Million

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One of the world’s largest heists occurred in Brazil when a gang of thieves stole $71 million from the Banco Central branch in Fortaleza. The heist took three months to set up, with the gang tunneling underground from a nearby office before finally breaking through into the vault on August 6, 2005. They made off with five containers of $50 notes totaling $71 million. 

But it didn’t take long for things to start going wrong. Those not arrested by the police were caught up in kidnapping scandals, with other crooks and even police officers abducting suspected members of the group and holding them for ransom.

26-year-old Luis Fernando Ribeiro, the mastermind of the robbery, was found 200 miles west of Rio de Janerio. His body was riddled with bullets and dumped on the side of the road, with police believing his death was connected to the robbery. 

In total, 54 suspects were arrested, and less than a quarter of the money was recovered in what was one of Brazil’s biggest heists.  

8. Schiphol Airport Robbery Heist – $72 Million

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The Schiphol Airport diamond heist in 2005 was one of the biggest robberies ever to take place. Two armed men disguised as KLM airline workers strode into Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam and hijacked an armored car, making off with $72 million in diamonds. Police had no initial leads and it looked as if the heist would never be solved until a tip-off over a decade later led to the arrest of seven individuals across Europe. 

Errol H. V., the mastermind of the heist, received the biggest sentence, going down for seven years. His second in charge Brian D. got six years and inside man Ramazan N., who worked for KLM airline and provided the uniforms, was sentenced to three and a half years behind bars.

Three other suspects, two of whom were women, were sentenced to between three months and three years, while the seventh died before he could be sentenced. $43 million worth of diamonds still remains missing. 

7. The Securitas Depot Robbery – $83 Million

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The largest cash heist in the U.K. began with an abduction and ended with the robbers escaping with an estimated $83 million. Planting someone inside the Securitas depot, who secretly filmed the building, the robbers were able to understand the layout of the building before robbing the depot. 

On Tuesday, February 21, 2006, the manager of the depot, Colin Dixon, was pulled over by police. Cooperating with the men, Dixon was handcuffed and placed in the back of their car, only to discover they weren’t policemen. At the same time, Dixon’s family was also being kidnapped. Taken to a farm, Dixon was forced to answer questions about the depot and give greater details in regard to the layout and security. 

Dixon and a man dressed as a police officer arrived at the depot in the early hours of Wednesday morning and gained entrance to the warehouse. Three carloads of the crew were let into the depot as the 14 workers and Dixon were tied up as the robbers went about cleaning out the vaults. They managed to escape with $83 million, leaving behind around $284 million they couldn’t carry. 

It didn’t take long for the police to start making arrests, and within the space of a year 36 people had been arrested for the robbery. These included Lee Murray, the alleged brains of the operation, and accomplice Paul Allen, who had fled to Morrocco. More than half the money from the robbery has never been recovered, while several suspects are still at large. 

6. The Knightsbridge Security Deposit Robbery – $98 Million

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London seems to have a habit of being the place where many of the biggest heists take place, with the Knightsbridge Security Deposit robbery no different. The heist was carried out by Italian thief Valerio Viccei in 1987 after he fled his home where he was wanted for carrying out over 50 robberies. While in London he made friends with Parvez Latif, an in-debt cocaine user who also happened to be the managing director of Knightsbridge Security. 

The robbery itself was simple, with the two men pretending to rent a safety deposit box before drawing guns and taking the employees hostage. They then let in their accomplices, locking the front door and putting up a sign saying the business was closed for the day. 

Viccei, Latif, and their cronies made off with $98 million worth of goods, but a bloody fingerprint of Viccei’s was found by police in the aftermath of the robbery. Surveillance was carried out on several suspects and on August 12, 1987, two months to the day of the robbery, a series of police raids were conducted simultaneously across London. Everyone was arrested but Viccei, who managed to escape to Latin America. 

Foolishly he returned to London not long after to rescue his Ferrari Testarossa from being repossessed and was promptly arrested by police. Sentenced to 22 years behind bars, he spent several years at Parkhurst Prison before being deported to Italy in 1992 to fulfill the remainder of his sentence. He was incarcerated in a jail in Pescara but finally met his end during day release from prison on April 19, 2000, when he and an accomplice got involved in a shootout with police. He was 45. 

5. Antwerp Diamond Heist – $100 Million

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Taking over 18 months of planning and surveilling, the Antwerp diamond heist netted Leonardo Notarbartolo and his crew over $100 million in diamonds, gold, silver, and other jewelry. Taking up residence in a nearby flat, Notarbartolo befriended many in the local diamond industry by posing as a wealthy diamond seller. He got a safety deposit box in the vault of the Antwerp Diamond Centre and gathered as much information as he could. 

Over the weekend of 15-16 February 2003, Notarbartolo and his crew broke into the vault and made off with over $100 million. The five-man team used a variety of tricks and techniques to get past the extensive security systems put in place, some of which still baffle police today.

The gang got caught after some of the evidence they disposed of was found by police in a forest. Letters and receipts were traced back to Notarbartolo and he was arrested and sentenced to ten years. He refused to give up his accomplices, but eventually they were tracked down, with only one, the King of Keys, never found. 

You can read more about this incredible crime via Wired’s fantastic interview with Notarbartolo. 

4. E.G. Bührle Art Museum Robbery – $163 Million

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Unlike the majority of million-dollar heists, this one didn’t involve robbing a bank. Three armed men wearing ski masks walked into the private E.G. Bührle Art Museum, grabbed four 19th-century masterpieces, and walked out the door. The audacious theft occurred in 2008, with the men stealing a Cézanne, a Degas, a van Gogh, and a Monet, with the four paintings reportedly worth around $163 million. 

Strangely these weren’t the most expensive or rare paintings in the museum, with the police convinced the men involved didn’t know a lot about art. Incredibly all four paintings have been recovered. Two were found abandoned in the getaway car eight days after the robbery. Four years later the third painting was recovered and not long after the fourth and final artwork by Cézanne was found hidden inside the roof of a suspect’s car in Belgrade.

3. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Theft – $200 Million

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Another art heist, The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft was a surprisingly simple heist that saw two men make off with an estimated $200 million worth of priceless artworks. The two men involved posed as police officers and said they were responding to a disturbance at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. The two guards were conned into letting the men inside, where they then tied up the guards and spent an hour looting the museum. 

The robbers were obviously not art fans, as they left behind some of the most coveted pieces of art ever created. But they did make off with The Concert, one of Johannes Vermeer’s 34 known paintings ever created, as well as Rembrandt’s only seascape, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee. They spent 81 minutes committing the robbery, stealing 13 paintings and leaving by a side door undiscovered. 

One of the security guards, Rick Abath, local gangsters Whiety Bulger and Bobby Donati, and Boston conman Brian McDevitt were all at some stage tied to the case, but nobody has ever been charged and none of the stolen artwork has been recovered. There is a $10 million reward for information that leads to the arrest of the robbers. 

2. Dar es Salaam Investment Bank Robbery – $282 Million

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Although it doesn’t take out the number one sport, the Dar es Salaam Investment Bank robbery is officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the greatest bank robbery of all time. The theft occurred in 2007 during the Iraq War and was allegedly performed by several security guards who worked for the bank. 

It’s still unclear who was involved with the theft and what actually happened, but authorities believe it was an inside job and those who carried out the robbery had help from local police and the militia who allowed them to escape with the cash. Another big question surrounding the heist concerned the amount of money being held at the bank in the first place. Nobody is quite sure why that much cash was being stored there. 

With more questions than answers, the details surrounding the Dar es Salaam Investment Bank robbery still remain hazy. Nobody has ever been captured for the robbery, with some very rich people out there living the high life. 

1. Central Bank of Iraq Robbery – $1 Billion

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The day before the United States Army began its invasion of Iraq on March 19, 2003, dictator Saddam Hussein orchestrated the biggest heist in history. He sent his son, Qusay, to the Central Bank of Iraq to withdraw as much money as possible. Hussein gave him a handwritten note he had signed declaring he was withdrawing the money to keep it safe from the country’s enemies. 

Nobody was going to say no to Hussein’s son for fear of repercussions, so he and his men ransacked the bank. After five hours they had loaded up their vans with over $1 billion in stone-cold cash and then drove off as if nothing had happened. 

Unfortunately for Hussein, he didn’t get to enjoy the money he stole. Not only was he captured nine months later, but his son Qusay was also killed. Around $650 million of the stolen cash was found in the walls of Hussein’s place, but the remaining $350 million was never recovered. It’s believed that much of that money was taken by U.S. troops and private contractors during the Iraq War.