The incredible story of the theft of the gold coin weighing 100 kilos

Mid-August, Room 817 of the Provincial Court of Berlin. A cloud of lawyers in black robes surrounds the judge and closely examines a transparent sheet on which is printed a fuchsia stain. They try to decipher the transparency in which the expert captured the tracks of alleged thieves from a huge gold coin stolen in the middle of the night at the Bode Museum. "They match three gloves, all three of the same size," the expert said a few minutes ago. Behind him, also in the small room lined with woods, the four defendants remain silent and lower their eyes.

Three belong to one of the great family and criminal clans that operate in the German capital. The room was the guardian of the museum the night of the spectacular crime, for which there are still too many outstanding questions and questions to answer. Among them, the main one: where is the "Big Maple Leaf", the second largest gold coin in the world. Weighs – or weighs – 100 kilos, measures half a meter in diameter and has been valued at more than $ 4 million.

The spectacular flight took place a little over two years ago. It was a Monday, March 27, 2017 at three o'clock in the morning on Berlin's Museum Island. Three hooded men dressed in black come down to the Hackescher Markt underground station in the heart of the German capital. They jump from the overpbad of the train with a ladder and cross a broken window and the alarm is disconnected in the cloakroom of the keepers of the famous sculpture museum of Bode. They enter room 243, where the gigantic gold coin is exposed. They break the shop window with an ax and take out the booty With a basket and incredible ease. Outside, on the other side of the river, in a nearby park, wait for a car. They run away.

It was 16 minutes, the period they had before the guard finished his tour. At the time of the blow, the guard was in the cellar casually and heard nothing. The room lacked cameras. The size and weight of the treasure was the main measure of security, they thought to the museum. They were wrong.

The embarrbadment turned out to be monumental. How was it possible that everything failed? Such a flight, capable of damaging the security of the admired island of Berlin's museums, should be solved as soon as possible. In July of that year, 300 police raided 14 departments in Berlin. In addition to the raids, a special investigation commission was created and police infiltration provided key clues. The phones were drilled and conversations were recorded. Today, you have to listen the accused on the bench.

The collaboration of the municipal transport company was crucial. The metro station's cameras saw how three hooded men crossed the platform on the night of the badault. The judicial experts took care of the rest. They badyzed the robbers' gesture by climbing the stairs of the metro. Indubitable, according to bioforenses. Speculation, according to veterans and reputable lawyers of the accused. During operations, firearms and up to five cars were seized. The investigators also discovered that defendants had searched the internet for ways to melt gold and that the police had found documents indicating the price of the metal in the department of a family clan member. Traces of gold were found in one of the cars, confiscated after an illegal race.

Total silence

The evidence accumulates, but for the moment there is no compelling evidence to determine the guilt of the suspects. Many sessions are scheduled before the trial and can last until 2020. These days, in Room 817, in addition to badyzing fingerprints, some of the intercepted conversations are heard before the defendants do redden. In, the guardian speaks days after the coup d'etat with a parent about the possible investments: a coffee with slot machines, a bakery maybe. Again, more clues.

The defendants are two brothers, Wayci and Ahmed Remmo, aged 24 and 20, respectively, and their 22-year-old cousin Wissam Remmo. Beside them, Denis W., the museum's night watchman, also 20, is supposed to have an acquaintance of the family. . Every twenty years, with a trimmed beard and well-dressed black hair. In the hall, during the process, they are graves.

For the moment, they are free, but they know that their lives can take a radical turn in the months to come. They may be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of up to 10 years or up to five years if they are found to be minors. During the hearing, they look at the cell phone on the ceiling and side. The hours go by and they do not know how to sit down or where to put their hands; They are uncomfortable. They do not say a word but their bodies give them.

Meanwhile, there is no trace of the great piece, invented in 2007 by the Canadian Mint with the image of Isabel II in relief. Researchers suspect that at this stage, the large maple leaf could be crushed, melted and spread around the world. Young people in the clan can have the key. For the time being, They are silent.