The robbery of 3.5 tons of money from the bank
At 6 pm on Friday, August 6, 2005, the center of Fortaleza (Brazil) was packed with people on their way home to shower, eat and then go out to enjoy the breeze at the city’s beach. No one knew that about four meters down the road they crossed, one of the greatest heists in history was underway.
At 8:30 a.m. on Monday, August 8, 2005, the city’s police department received a phone call from the Central Bank. At first, officers thought it was just a petty theft as usual.
However, when they arrived at the scene, they realized that this was a “super theft”. It seems that the criminals broke into the vault, stole a huge amount of money without being detected and did not activate any alarm system.
The bank’s vault contains new bills that are ready for circulation and old notes that are not serialized. To avoid investigation, the group of criminals wisely took only old bills. It is estimated that they stole more than 164 million reais (equivalent to 150 million USD at current exchange rates). If stacked, the stolen money would be up to 33 meters tall and weigh up to 3 tons.
It was “the largest bank heist in Brazilian history, the largest of the 21st century and the second largest in the history of the world” by J. Monteiro, the federal police officer who later wrote the screenplay for a movie based on it. theft said.
So how did the criminals successfully carry out this daring mission?
According to Ozy newspaper, in order to break in, the group of thieves dug an 80-meter-long tunnel, covered with wood and installed electric lighting, air-conditioning and ventilation systems, and drilled through 1 meter of concrete for a period of 3 months. The cost of building this tunnel is at least about 200,000 USD. The stolen money is manually pulled through the tunnel using a pulley system.
Going back to the tunnel, the police found a shop selling ornamental plants and artificial grass located a block away from the bank. 3 months before the bank robbery, the group of thieves rented this shop as a disguise.
To avoid suspicion, the group of thieves pretended to be in real business. They hand out flyers, distribute grand opening gifts, give advice, and even place ads on the street.
Neighbors reported that they had no doubts about the store and the trucks loaded with 30 tons of rock that went back and forth for weeks. The police said that this gang had covered the room with a white powder to make it difficult to collect fingerprints.
The tunnel was dug by the criminal group for 3 months (Photo: Internet).
The investigative agency estimates there are about 25 criminals involved in the theft. They split up and escaped in 11 cars, going in different directions across Brazil. Information about the super-theft shocked the whole of Brazil at that time.
It is also worth noting that the bank said that the camera and motion detector inside the vault were not working. This has led to speculation that the thieves may have had help from within.
The police investigation was difficult. The only specific information they have is a copy of the ID used to rent the store. In the photo, this person wears a hat that seems to cover his face. In short, the police have very little information.
This should have turned out to be a perfect super heist, except for one “fatal” mistake. Only 1 day after the theft, a member of the gang bought 10 cars with cash to transport money and disperse assets. In a place not so rich as Fortaleza, this is a remarkable event.
Upon receiving the news, the police caught up with the tractor-trailer carrying 10 cars in another state. Inside were sacks of stolen money. After investigating, the police said it was true that there was “inside” a bank employee. This person helps the group of criminals stay undetected by cameras and motion detectors. However, most shocking was among those arrested, including the Mayor of Boa Viagem – a town south of Fortaleza. He invested a large amount of money and together with this gang built the tunnel.
In addition, the theft also involved “tunneling expert” Moises Teixeira da Silva – who was present in the largest prison break in Brazilian history. At the time of his escape, he was serving a total of 80 years. After the bank robbery, da Silva was sentenced to another 14 years in prison.
In the end, about 30 members of the gang were tried and found guilty of a total of 133 crimes. The heaviest prison sentence was Antônio Jussivan Alves dos Santos – one of the three masterminds, with a fine of 80 years.
Illustration: Internet.
Decades after the theft, its aftermath still lingers. To date, only 20 million of the 165 million reais have been recovered. The rest has a high probability that is no longer recoverable.
According to the police chief in charge of the investigation, “there is no way to get any more money back” because the incident has been going on for so long. Some people think that the money was buried in the desert.
If you have a chance to visit the small town of Boa Viagem, keep an eye out for its monumental structures as it is rumored that they were built from the spoils of this “theft of the century”.
Source: Guardian, Ozy
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