Last week, Berlin police released a video of three thieves stealing a 100-kilogram gold coin from Berlin’s Bode Museum.
Earlier this week, on July 12, about 300 heavily-armed police raided 13 buildings in Neukölln, a borough in southeastern Berlin. Four men were arrested in relation to the robbery, which took place this March. All four suspects currently in custody are under the age of 21 and will be charged as minors.
In a press conference following the hours-long raid, German police said they believe there are 13 individuals involved with the heist. The suspects belong to an “Arabic-Kurdish” family known to authorities for its various nefarious ventures.
Police remain uncertain about the coin’s whereabouts and added they are doubtful it will be recovered in one piece. It is suspected the massive gold coin was melted down as soon as possible to sell the gold to previous metal.
ONE OF FIVE EXAMPLES
Struck by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007, the coin was stolen from the museum on March 27 at 3:30 a.m. According to the Canadian Press, the coin was on loan from an anonymous person since 2010 but does not belong to the Mint, which struck a very limited quantity of 100-kilogram gold coins after unveiling the first Big Maple Leaf in 2007.
Only five of these coins were ever purchased by investors from around the world, and the stolen coin was one of those five examples.