10 of the Most Notorious Heists in History (13 photos)

Pulling off a high-stakes robbery can land a criminal far more than just a spot on the police’s most-wanted list—it can bring instant global notoriety. Steal a staggering sum, preferably tens of millions of dollars, and the media will hang on every detail while law enforcement launches a international manhunt. For many, scoring that one legendary payout offers the promise of easy money for the rest of their lives.





Fortunately, for most, it never gets past the fantasy stage. Yet criminal history is dotted with extraordinary cases where masterminds actually pulled off the score of a lifetime. These high-profile crimes made history—though escaping ultimate justice proved far more difficult.

1. The Harry Winston Heist



Harry Winston is Hollywood’s jeweler of choice, loaning out dazzling gems for A-listers to wear on the Oscar red carpet. But the iconic brand is also tied to one of the most famous jewel heists in modern history.

In 2009, just before closing time, four armed men walked into the Harry Winston boutique on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Three of them were dressed in women’s clothing, complete with wigs.

The robbers cleaned out the display cases and forced staff to open the vault. Millions in loot wasn't enough; they stripped the entire shop of its inventory, walking away with jewels valued at €80 million. When news of the robbery broke, shares in the parent company immediately plunged 9%.





In June of that year, French police rounded up 25 suspects, recovering a portion of the stolen gems along with cash from previous sales. The suspects ranged in age from 22 to 67. Authorities linked them to the infamous international crime syndicate known as the Pink Panthers.

The Pink Panthers—a criminal network originating from the former Yugoslavia—operates across Europe. While famous for high-end luxury heists, the gang is also involved in drug trafficking, smuggling, and murder. Remarkably, the very same Paris boutique had been robbed just a year earlier, when thieves made off with €10 million in jewelry.

2. The Antwerp Diamond Heist



Not everyone knows that roughly 80% of the world's rough diamonds pass through Antwerp. But international criminals certainly know it. The Belgian city has seen its share of high-stakes diamond thefts, but one heist stands far above the rest—both for its sheer scale and brilliant execution.

The haul was so enormous that the thieves could barely carry it out. They cleaned out 123 of the 160 safe deposit boxes in the Antwerp Diamond Center vault. The mastermind behind this audacious plot was Leonardo Notarbartolo, a veteran thief with a 30-year criminal record.



The robbery took years to plan and involved a tight four-man crew. Three years prior to the heist, the gang rented an office in the very building housing the diamond exchange. Operating under a front company, they secured magnetic keycards and building access. Notarbartolo posed as a legitimate diamond trader, building a convincing cover story, meeting clients, and closing deals without raising suspicion.

On the weekend of February 15, 2003, the crew taped over security cameras and swapped out surveillance tapes to cover their tracks. Despite the vault being guarded by ten layers of high-tech security—including infrared heat detectors, magnetic sensors, and a lock with 100 million possible combinations—the thieves breached it. Police were baffled by how they bypassed the system. Working at their leisure, the gang emptied box after box, leaving millions in diamonds scattered across the floor simply because they couldn't carry it all. The stolen loot belonged to 70 individuals and companies.

Top detectives were brought in. Just a day later, Notarbartolo was arrested alongside his accomplices—his wife and a Dutch couple—with police recovering crucial evidence. However, the stolen diamonds—valued at $100 million—were never found. Notarbartolo is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence. Curiously, he later claimed in court that they had been hired by a Jewish diamond merchant and had only taken $20 million worth of gems, asserting that several boxes had already been emptied before they arrived. Notarbartolo believed he was set up as part of a massive insurance fraud scheme. Police dismissed the story and later arrested three more co-conspirators.

3. The United California Bank Robbery



Back in the 1970s, a crew pulled off what was then the largest bank robbery in U.S. history. Today, the stolen loot would be worth over $100 million. The seven-man gang from Ohio was led by master thief Amil Dinsio.

Calling themselves the "Laguna Niguel" crew, they broke into a United California Bank branch and rapidly looted the vault. Because the exact contents of the safety deposit boxes were unknown, the total value could only be estimated. The FBI eventually caught the ring when their greed got the better of them and they tried to execute another job. One of the thieves later chronicled the heist in his book,

Superthief

.

4. The British Bank of the Middle East Heist



In the 1970s, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was actively carrying out militant campaigns. Led by Yasser Arafat, the group fought to claim territory in Palestine. Funding this war required massive capital. Amid the chaos of the Lebanese Civil War, PLO militants raided over a dozen financial institutions, most notably the British Bank of the Middle East in Beirut.

The militants made off with an estimated $25 million in gold, cash, stocks, and jewels. To reach the vault, they blasted through a shared wall. They even brought in Corsican locksmiths to crack the massive safe. Eventually, some of the stolen stock certificates were sold back to their original owners.

5. The Schiphol Airport Diamond Heist



This remains the largest diamond heist in history, with thieves escaping with an estimated $118 million in precious gems. A precise valuation proved difficult because many of the stones were uncut, making them harder to trace and price accurately.

While many legendary robberies rely on intricate planning, this crew used brute force and deception. A month before the crime, four men stole airport employee uniforms and a cargo truck, allowing them to blend seamlessly into the secure area of Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. On February 25, 2005, a high-value shipment of diamonds was scheduled for transport to Antwerp. In broad daylight, the robbers ambushed the driver at gunpoint, forced him out, hijacked the truck, and sped away. Given their precise timing, police suspected an inside job. It wasn't the first time security at the airport's freight terminal had failed, leading diamond owners to fiercely question the facility's security measures. Although several suspects were eventually arrested, the stolen diamonds have never been recovered.

6. Knightsbridge Security Deposit Heist



Tired of fleeing Italian authorities after 54 armed robberies, Valerio Viccei relocated from Italy to the UK in 1986 to resume his criminal career. He walked into the Knightsbridge Security Deposit centre pretending to rent a safety deposit box. Once inside, Viccei overpowered the security guard with the help of the managing director, whom the Italian had hooked on cocaine and manipulated. A "temporarily closed" sign was hung on the vault doors. The manager replaced the guard shift and disabled the security cameras. The crew methodically plundered the vault, walking away with £60 million—a sum worth triple that amount today.

Authorities only discovered the crime an hour after the gang had fled, leaving them with just a single partial fingerprint. Interpol soon matched the print to Viccei. While Valerio managed to escape to South America, all his accomplices in England were swiftly arrested. In an astonishing display of arrogance, Viccei returned to England to retrieve his beloved Ferrari and oversee its shipment abroad.

Police arrested the brazen thief, and he was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Investigators recovered only £10 million; the rest vanished into South America. After serving his time, the 45-year-old criminal returned to a life of crime and was killed in a police gunfight in 2000 while en route to another bank robbery. Money had never been his sole motivation—he was addicted to the thrill and notoriety of the heist.

7. The Mysterious Baghdad Bank Heist



In 2007, the private Dar Es Salaam Bank in Baghdad was the target of a baffling robbery. When employees arrived at work one morning, they found the doors unlocked, the vault wide open, and all the money gone. Along with $282 million in cash, three bank guards had vanished into thin air. The astronomical sum exceeded the national budgets of some small nations. The heist left investigators with far more questions than answers: why was such an immense reserve of US dollars kept on hand instead of local currency?

How did the robbers transport tons of cash out of the city without raising alarms? Authorities suspected local militias helped sneak the thieves through military checkpoints. The culprits were never caught. Remarkably, Iraq holds the world record for the amount of money lost in bank robberies, with at least $1 million stolen every month.

8. The Boston Museum Heist



On March 18, 1990, two men disguised as police officers convinced security guards at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston that they were responding to an emergency call, claiming the alarm had tripped and they needed to inspect the galleries. Flouting official protocol, the guards let them in. The thieves immediately handcuffed the guards and tied them up in the basement. Remarkably, the robbers carried no weapons. Over the next 81 minutes, they carefully selected 12 masterpieces and fled with the artwork along with the security camera footage.

The stolen art is valued at $300 million and includes iconic works by Rembrandt and Vermeer. Police failed to uncover a single solid lead. In 1994, an anonymous letter offered to return the paintings for $2.6 million and immunity from prosecution, but the offer went cold.

Investigators suspect the heist may have been carried out by amateurs due to the crude way the canvases were cut from their frames, while even more valuable works were left behind untouched. Today, a $5 million reward remains active for information leading to the recovery of the stolen art, with authorities promising immunity to anyone holding the pieces.

9. The Great City Bond Robbery



This crime on a quiet London street might have looked like a routine mugging—if not for what was inside the briefcase. John Goddard, a 58-year-old courier, was carrying $292 million in bearer bonds belonging to the Bank of England and building societies. Bearer bonds belong to whoever holds them, making them as good as cash. A mugger held a knife to Goddard's throat and made off with the briefcase.

Police eventually arrested Keith Cheeseman, who received a 6.5-year prison sentence. The gunman was identified as Patrick Thomas, who was later found dead from a gunshot wound to the head. Police eventually rounded up the syndicate, though two conspirators were never identified. Remarkably, one of the largest financial robberies in history was carried out on a dark street corner using nothing more than a knife.

10. The Central Bank of Iraq Heist



Another high-stakes theft linked to Iraq, where bank robberies had become almost commonplace. Most massive heists demand meticulous planning and physical force, but this one was as simple as it was effective. Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had long treated the entire nation as his personal domain—and the Central Bank of Iraq as his personal piggy bank.

On the morning of March 18, 2003, just hours before coalition forces launched their military campaign against Iraq, Saddam's youngest son Qusay arrived at the bank alongside a top presidential advisor. They demanded $900 million in US dollars and €100 million in euros. In lieu of paperwork, they presented a handwritten note signed by Saddam Hussein ordering the release of the funds. Bank officials knew better than to question a direct order from the dictator. Qusay refused to explain where the money was going or why it was needed. For two hours, staff loaded stacks of cash into three tractor-trailers. Before the workday had even begun, the thieves drove off with $1 billion—roughly a quarter of Iraq's foreign currency reserves.

Bank staff later noted that while Saddam and his family had occasionally withdrawn cash before, amounts rarely exceeded $5 million. US intelligence believed Saddam intended to use the fortune to fund his escape and insurgency if the regime fell. After Hussein was captured and executed, and his son killed in combat, the fate of the money became a mystery. Coalition forces managed to recover $650 million hidden behind a false wall in one of Saddam's palaces, but the rest vanished without a trace, rumored to have been smuggled into Syria.