Thieves pull off multi-million gold heist from Caribbean boat
WILLEMSTAD, Curacao (AP) - Masked men in jackets emblazoned with the word "police" boarded a fishing boat Friday in Curacao and stole 70 gold bars worth an estimated $11.5 million, officials in the southern Caribbean island said.
The boat's captain was struck in the head in the early-morning assault before the thieves made off with the gold in three cars, police spokesman Reggie Huggins said. Authorities believe there were at least six men involved in the heist. No suspects were in custody.
Huggins declined to say who owned the approximately 216 kilograms (476 pounds) of gold but he said it was a legal shipment that was being trans-shipped through Curacao and officials in the island had been advised in advance that it was coming as part of normal security protocols. He declined to disclose the eventual destination of the metal.
"Authorities knew of the shipment because the official procedure was followed," the spokesman said.
Huggins said that guards to the port area let the assailants inside a restricted area in the mistaken belief that they were customs officials. The men's jackets had the word "police" in English but in Curacao the word would be written in Papiamento, one of the island's three official languages, as "polis." During the robbery, crew members said they wore hoods and masks and made off with the gold in a matter of minutes.
"The crew said it was like a movie operation, very fast," Huggins said.
The captain and three crew members were from the South American country of Guyana, he said.
The boat, by its appearance, would seem an unlikely place to stash that amount of gold. The "Summer Bliss" is a fishing boat with rust streaks on its white cabin and no visible security.
A crew member who gave his name as Raymond Emmanuel told The Associated Press that they left Guyana four days ago and arrived early Friday in Curacao. Contradicting police, he said they were delivering the gold to a company in Curacao but said he did not know the name of the business.
He referred questions about the source of the gold to the captain, who was meeting with authorities on the Dutch Caribbean island and not immediately available.
Emmanuel said the gold was locked away when the thieves boarded the vessel. "They took everything," he said.
The crew member said neither he nor anyone else on the vessel was armed. "This is normal," he said. "We never carry arms. Since I started working here, I've transported gold once before, and this is the system."
Colin Sparman, executive secretary of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association, said legal shipments are typically made by air under heavy security. But gold smuggling is common to avoid taxes and royalty payments on the precious metal.
Curacao, just north of Venezuela, is primarily known as tourist destination, particularly for divers. It is also an offshore financial center, especially for people from South America.
The boat's captain was struck in the head in the early-morning assault before the thieves made off with the gold in three cars, police spokesman Reggie Huggins said. Authorities believe there were at least six men involved in the heist. No suspects were in custody.
Huggins declined to say who owned the approximately 216 kilograms (476 pounds) of gold but he said it was a legal shipment that was being trans-shipped through Curacao and officials in the island had been advised in advance that it was coming as part of normal security protocols. He declined to disclose the eventual destination of the metal.
"Authorities knew of the shipment because the official procedure was followed," the spokesman said.
Huggins said that guards to the port area let the assailants inside a restricted area in the mistaken belief that they were customs officials. The men's jackets had the word "police" in English but in Curacao the word would be written in Papiamento, one of the island's three official languages, as "polis." During the robbery, crew members said they wore hoods and masks and made off with the gold in a matter of minutes.
"The crew said it was like a movie operation, very fast," Huggins said.
The captain and three crew members were from the South American country of Guyana, he said.
The boat, by its appearance, would seem an unlikely place to stash that amount of gold. The "Summer Bliss" is a fishing boat with rust streaks on its white cabin and no visible security.
A crew member who gave his name as Raymond Emmanuel told The Associated Press that they left Guyana four days ago and arrived early Friday in Curacao. Contradicting police, he said they were delivering the gold to a company in Curacao but said he did not know the name of the business.
He referred questions about the source of the gold to the captain, who was meeting with authorities on the Dutch Caribbean island and not immediately available.
Emmanuel said the gold was locked away when the thieves boarded the vessel. "They took everything," he said.
The crew member said neither he nor anyone else on the vessel was armed. "This is normal," he said. "We never carry arms. Since I started working here, I've transported gold once before, and this is the system."
Colin Sparman, executive secretary of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association, said legal shipments are typically made by air under heavy security. But gold smuggling is common to avoid taxes and royalty payments on the precious metal.
Curacao, just north of Venezuela, is primarily known as tourist destination, particularly for divers. It is also an offshore financial center, especially for people from South America.
Captain Jack Sparrow?
Now THAT is a robbery! Why would anyone bother with a liquor store or convenience store? The return on investment just isnt there. 11.5 million in gold?
Using a fishing boat to move gold is pretty brilliant. It's called security by obscurity.
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The fact that these guys came in and went for this specific boat tells me that they had inside knowledge of the gold being on board. I hope the authorities over there are able to figure out who leaked the info and put whoever was behind this scheme in prison for many, many years.
Sounds like the plot for the next Oceans 13. They just did not realize it was Brad Pitt and George Clooney under the masks.
Here's how it went ................... The owner insures the gold, then has it shipped , only to pay off the guys shipping it to say it got stolen. Then the owner get the gold back and the insurance money and in essence  doubles his money.
@DEC212012 exactly -- inside job. The guy even stated he shipped the gold once before so he knew how easy it would be to pull this off.
Sounds like a inside job to me. Â Â
I'm guessing the owner of the gold had it insured.
Sounds like drug money. Except it wasn't guarded by armed cartel soldiers.