A "treasure" hidden in the basement of a small shop with an innocuous appearance, in the heart of Paris.
This scene worthy of a thriller was discovered by police in the capital on Thursday, February 4.
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That day, the agents of the DSPAP
(direction of the proximity security of the Parisian agglomeration, NLDR)
of the 10th district and of the GIR75
(regional intervention group of the judicial police, Editor's note)
patrolling the district of the North Station.
They control establishments there.
It was then that they discovered an underground foundry hidden in the basement of a clothing store.
In the room, a saucepan for melting jewelry, a gas cylinder and loose items.
Gold jewelry and a sapphire
During their search, the police came across a real loot: 160 grams of gold (the equivalent of around 7,000 euros), 13 lots of gold jewelry, unlisted jewelry, 10,000 euros in cash and even ... a sapphire.
An agent of the GIR also discovered 37,000 euros which were not recorded in the book of accounts of the searched merchant.
According to our information, everything suggests that this artisanal foundry allowed the pullers of necklaces and bracelets to sell their goods, then melted and transformed into gold.
A procedure for concealment of theft and for laundering tax fraud was opened in flagrante delicto against the merchant.
The investigation is continuing.