Armed thieves seize €9mln worth of jewels in France

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armed thieves have seized a reported €9mln ($9.5mln) euros' worth of jewels from two armored lorries at a French motorway toll booth, BBC News reports.

As many as 15 hooded attackers seized the vehicles at about midnight on Tuesday, March 10, on the A6 motorway at Avallon, 220km (140 miles) south-east of Paris.

The drivers were said to be unhurt and the lorries were later found abandoned some distance away. The gang is reported to have fled in the direction of Paris.

The thieves were said to have waited for the security vehicles at the Avallon toll booth south-east of Auxerre, spraying gas at the drivers when they arrived.

Local reports said the lorries had been carrying a consignment of diamonds, other jewels and works of art between Paris and the eastern city of Besancon.

The burnt-out lorries were being investigated on Wednesday by forensic scientists in a field near Quenne, further north along the A6, just outside Auxerre.

Police have been searching Yonne and neighboring regions for the attackers.

There have been a number of high-profile jewelry heists in France in recent years, most notably the theft of more than 92mln euros ($100mln) during two separate raids on a Harry Winston store in Paris.

Eight men were jailed earlier this year over the double heist. The first theft occurred in 2007, when four men pretending to be builders gained access to the building.

A year later, a gang of thieves again gained access, this time wearing women's clothing and wigs. They stole almost every jewel on display in the store.

In July 2013 about 103mln euros ($136mln) of gems were stolen during a dramatic armed raid at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes. The gunman seized diamond encrusted watches, necklaces and earrings from an exhibition.

Earlier that year the Cannes film festival was rocked by two separate robberies, including the theft of a necklace worth 1.9mln euros.