In August, 15 men tamper with train signals and stop the
Glasgow-to-London mail train, stealing £2.6 million without firing
a shot. Thirteen suspects of the Great Train Robbery are arrested
and imprisoned. Three escape jail and become folk heroes - one of
whom gets his life made into a movie starring
Phil Collins. The
lost money was never recovered.
1978
On December 11, a gang of thugs slips into the Lufthansa Airlines
cargo terminal at New York's JFK airport and steals $5.8 million in
cash and jewelry. Unfortunately for police, the currency consists
of dollars that had been exchanged overseas, thus making it
impossible to trace. One suspect is sentenced; several are
murdered. Only $20,000 was ever recovered. The heist was portrayed
in the 1990 mobster film Goodfellas.
1983
In November, six thieves break into the Brinks Mat warehouse at
London Heathrow Airport. They hope to steal £3 million but instead
discover a safe filled with 10 tons of gold bullion worth £26
million. The haul is so large and heavy, gang members actually
leave the airport to retrieve a larger vehicle. A handful are
eventually jailed. Three tons of gold remain unaccounted for.
1990
In March, just after St. Patrick's Day, two men overpower guards at
Boston's
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and steal 13 paintings by
Rembrandt, Degas, Manet, and others. Some works are crudely cut out
of their frames. Officials estimate the total loss at roughly $300
million. Despite a $5 million reward, no artwork has been found,
and there have been no arrests. The museum continues to display the
empty frames.
1997
In September, crooks break into the Dunbar Armored Car depot in Los
Angeles, and within half an hour stuff $18.9 million in cash into a
waiting
U-Haul. After some years, all are caught and confess, including the
ringleader, a Dunbar employee. The Dunbar Armored Robbery remains
the largest cash robbery in U.S. history. $10 million remains
missing.