A MAJOR update in the Louvre heist has seen the would-be-buyer of the priceless jewels revealed.
French police have arrested seven men over the brazen theft but there remains no trace of the stolen jewels which were reportedly set to be sold on the dark web.
The gang reportedly approached the Israeli security company CGI Group and offered them part of the looted crown jewels over the darknet, according to BILD.
The head of CGI Group claimed the business was contacted by a representative of the heist gang just five days after the robbery.
CGI chief Zvika Nave said: “Five days after the robbery at the Louvre Museum, a person who pretended to represent the thieves contacted us via the official CGI Group website.
“She asked if we wanted to negotiate over the darknet to buy the stolen artworks, and stressed that we had a 24-hour window to respond.”
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Criminals often use the dark web – an area of the internet that can’t be accessed through conventional search engines – for communication and the trade in illegal goods.
After the robbery, CGI had been hired by an anonymous individual to search for the robbers and the loot, Nave said.
He also showed screenshots of the alleged communication between CGI and the Louvre robbers.
A message from October 23, reads: “We have the jewels. Ready to return. There is no negotiation about price and conditions.”
The CGI boss says they accepted the offer.
After long conversations and checks, it is assumed the unknown person was indeed “in possession of at least some of the stolen pieces,” according to Nave.
He added: “We immediately informed the competent authorities in Paris.
“Unfortunately, ego conflicts and bureaucratic delays prevented the chance to regain at least some of the works of art.”
CGI’s findings are alleged to have helped arrest some of the suspects this week.
The CGI Group, whose president is the Israeli politician and ex-secret service chief Ya’akov Peri, 81, has experience in the replacement of stolen treasures.
CGI were previously offered loot on the darknet after a robbery of the Green Vault in Dresden, Germany.
The Israelis have indicated they helped to convict members of the Berlin Remmo clan as the perpetrators.
CGI boss Nave warned of a potential Paris Louvre robbery back in August.
He claimed the Mona Lisa was one of the most discussed destinations on the darknet at the time.
Seven men have been arrested over the “heist of the century” so far.
This includes a “prime suspect” in connection with the brazen £76 million Louvre heist, the city’s public prosecutor announced on Friday.
DNA evidence on one of the men is said to be linked to the crime scene – making him the prime suspect.
Last Saturday, two of the men were charged when they “partially admitted” their involvement in the heist to cops when interrogated.
Beccuau said the detainees face up to 15 years in prison for “organised robbery in a gang”.
On October 19, thugs with chainsaws scaled the side of the world’s most visited gallery before opening a window to enter and steal the precious jewels.
It took just seven minutes to enter the building, steal the jewels and then flee.
The thieves grabbed nine glittering pieces from the Napoleon and Empress Joséphine collection – but dropped one as they sped off on mopeds through central Paris.
It comes amid serious fears that the jewels had been stolen so they could be sold off around the globe to the rich and wealthy via the black market, where they will likely never be seen again.
Robbers often prefer items that can be broken up, melted or made smaller, which can also be converted into cash – such as the jewels.
This is because things like crowns and diamonds can easily be broken apart and sold into several bits.
It is possible that they have already been cut up, melted down or even sold in full.
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Laurence des Cars, the director of the museum, admitted there was a security failure and the museum “failed” to protect the irreplaceable jewels from “brutal” criminals.
“Despite our efforts, despite our hard work on a daily basis, we failed,” she said.
Stealing the attention
A GERMAN company raised eyebrows after launching a tongue-in-cheek ad campaign for their cherry picker which was used in the Louvre heist.
Furniture lift manufacturer Böcker posted a picture of the truck and wrote a shocking slogan in German that translates to “When things need to go quickly”.
Photos of a freight lift went viral as authorities began investigating the lightning-fast daylight heist.
Alexander Böcker, the managing director and third-generation owner of Böcker Maschinenwerke GmbH, said he and his wife were shocked to see that their company’s product had been misused for the brazen robbery.
But they seized the moment to launch an unexpected endorsement campaign for their truck.
The company joked that the machine pictured leading up to the Louvre’s first-floor balcony was capable of lifting “up to 400kg of treasures at 42m per minute – as quiet as a whisper”.
Mr Böcker said: “We had hoped for a bit of attention and some good humour, but the feedback was overwhelming,
“I can understand that not everyone shares this sense of humour, but the vast majority laughed heartily.”
Though he added that the freight lift is not permitted to transport humans.
“Crown jewels, yes. Thieves, no,” the owner of the German company said.