One of the world’s most secure diamond vaults was beaten by
a man who rented an office upstairs. Leonardo Notarbartolo moved into the
Antwerp Diamond Center and posed as a gem importer for three years. He became
friends with the center’s staff, learned the building’s routine, and mapped
every layer of security. Then, in February 2003, Leonardo and his small team
bypassed sensors, drilled into the vault, and made off with over 100 million
dollars in diamonds, gold and jewelry. On their way out of the city, they
dumped a bag of rubbish in the woods. A local landowner found and reported it:
a video tape, a half-eaten salami sandwich, and crumpled paper. The trash led
police straight to Leonardo and his allies; three years of planning foiled by a
bag of garbage. Leonardo served ten years in jail, his friends half as long.
Most of the haul was never recovered.
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