15 Ambitious Heists Performed Throughout History

The world is filled with all kinds of people. There are good people, bad people, ambitious people, and people who are seemingly afraid of everything. Sadly, there are bad people who are extremely ambitious, which often drives them to do terrible, terrible things. They break laws, hurt others, and they often just don't care about the consequences. Robbers are at the pinnacle of ambitious crimes because they commit to a crime that is inherently dangerous. I mean, come on, you're trying to steal money from a place that is guarded and sealed (bank heists!). Here are 15 of the most ambitious heists performed throughout history.

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1. Harry Winston Heist

The Harry Winston jewelry store in Paris, France, was robbed in 2007 and again in 2008. The first heist involved four men dressing up as builders, then being allowed in by a security guard. The second heist had the men dressing up as women. Both heists resulted in millions upon millions (over $100 million!) of dollars worth of jewelry stolen, with only about $27 million dollars of it ever being discovered. The majority of the jewelry is still gone.

2. Brink's-MAT Heist

The robbers going into the heist had originally believed they would be stealing ~$4.5 million in cash (about $13.6 million today) but ended up acquiring $37 million (about $112.5 million today) worth of gold bullion, diamonds, and cash. The heist took place in 1983 at the Brink's-MAT warehouse near the Heathrow airport.

3. Northern Bank Robbery

On December 20, 2004, the Donegall Square West HQ of Northern Bank was robbed. It was estimated that 30 IRA (Irish Republican Army) members took part in the heist, acquiring around $42 million.

4. Banco Central Burglarly

The Banco Central is often referred to as an amazing display of engineering skills. The robbers used this to their advantage, posing as a landscaping company. They dug 250 feet beneath the bank and stole about $70 million. Eight of the 25 robbers were caught.

5. Great Brink's Robbery

In Boston, Massachusetts, the Brink's building was robbed. The heist occurred on January 17, 1950, and involved very little evidence. The reason the robbers were caught was because they eventually turned on each other, resulting in every single one of them being arrested.

6. Lottery Heist (Sort Of?)

This one was not only ambitious but stupid. A Chinese banker was stealing money from his work and using it to buy lottery tickets, eventually racking up a debt of $7 million to his place of work. As a result of this ridiculous move, he is spending time in jail.

7. Knightsbridge Safe Deposit Robbery

In 1987, Valerio Viccei led a robbery on the Knightsbridge Safe Deposit Centre. Viccei was already wanted in Italy for 50 counts of armed robbery but moved to London to continue his crime spree. He and his crew were successful in their attempt, though Viccei was later caught when he tried to ship his Ferarri from the U.K. to Latin America.

8. Iraqi Central Bank Robbery

Hours before Americans began bombing Baghdad, Iraq, one of Saddam's sons escaped with $1 billion in cash from the Central Bank of Iraq, making it the biggest robbery in history. 

9. JFK Airport Robbery

On December 11, 1978, at 3:12 am, an estimated, what would now be, $23 million was stolen from an airport vault. The heist was popularized in Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas."

10. Bonds Theft

On May 2, 1990, John Goddard was walking down a London side street with ~$415 million in bonds when he was suddenly confronted by a stranger wielding a knife. He gave up his briefcase containing the bonds, leading to what would have been the most profitable mugging ever. Unfortunately for the mugger, he was later found shot dead.

11. Dunbar Armored Robbery

The robbery took place in 1997 at the Dunbar Armored facility in Los Angeles, California. The thieves made off with $18.9 million in cash, making it the largest cash robbery in the U.S. Allen Pace, the regional safety inspector for Dunbar at the time of the robbery, was found to be the mastermind behind the robbery. He was later caught and arrested, though less than half the money has ever been recovered.

12. Mexican National Museum Heist

In 1985, two thieves stole 140 artifacts from Mexico's National Museum of Anthropology. In 1989, officials recovered most of the artifacts and gold, also arresting one of the two thieves who were accused of robbery.

13. U.S. Mail Robbery

On August 14, 1962, a U.S. Mail truck was stopped by two men. The truck was carrying more than $1.5 million in cash as it was on its way to the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston, Massachusetts. The men were never found, nor was the money.

14. First Bank Robbery of America

Known as the first ever American bank robbery, the Bank of Pennsylvania was robbed in 1798 for a total of $162,821. That number sounds low, but that was pre-inflation, over 200 years ago.

15. Airplane Diamond Heist

On February 18, 2013, eight armed robbers stole $50 million worth of diamonds. The diamonds were stolen from a plane heading to Switzerland and they belonged to the Antwerp World Diamond Centre. The men were able to approach the plane because they did so in vehicles with typical police markings.

h/t eBaum's World
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