Eleven men are on trial from Monday before the Nancy Assize Court for aggravated theft, in particular the robbery of a goldsmith company for loot exceeding a million euros.
Aged 25 to 52, they are accused of theft and attempted theft in 2019 in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, including the robbery of the Losange company in Châtillon-le-Duc (Doubs).
On May 3, 2019, around 5:30 a.m., five gloved, hooded individuals armed with a pistol, a shotgun and an assault rifle entered the premises of this company specializing in the design and jewelry manufacturing for renowned jewelers.
The criminals had stolen 38 kilos of gold, in the form of chips, bars, parts and profiles machined or being finished, for a total amount of 1.08 million euros.
Six employees were present that morning, a hostage situation which left them in a state of shock, with total incapacity for work of between two and ten days.
The gold was never found.
Close links with the robbery of the Losange company
The investigation, which began with the robbery of this company, made it possible to uncover preparatory acts and a first theft, the burglary of the Besançon-Tarragnoz gendarmerie which occurred on the night of April 2 to 3, 2019. The investigations allowed us to reveal that there were close links between this burglary and the robbery of the Losange company: bulletproof vests and a flashlight, apparently stolen from the military, were found during the theft of precious metals, abandoned by criminals.
After the robbery of the Losange company, part of the group goes abroad.
Upon their return to France, the group reconstituted in September 2019, with an attempted theft targeting the company Techniluxe, specializing in the manufacture of jewelry and jewelry, in Voray-sur-L'Ognon (Haute-Saône).
The aggravating circumstance of an organized gang, initially retained, was dismissed at the end of the investigation given that the facts are not linked to a significant and hierarchical long-term structure.
The trial is scheduled to last three weeks with a verdict expected on April 12.