Bank robbery in Fortaleza

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The bank robbery in Fortaleza on August 8, 2005 in Fortaleza was the largest bank robbery in Brazilian history to date . The perpetrators stole 3.5 tons of cash worth 164.75 million reais (about 56 million euros). Over 150 people were directly involved in bank robberies or money laundering . Strictly speaking, it wasn't a bank robbery, but a break-in .

procedure

preparation

The robbers had pretended to open a nursery in a neighboring block of the central bank. From there they dug a 78 meter long tunnel four meters deep over a period of three months. The tunnel was equipped with light and a ventilation system and clad with wood and plastic elements. The house at the end of the tunnel was groomed to cover up tracks. In the course of the excavation work, six truckloads of earth accumulated and were removed.

execution

On August 6th and 7th, 2005, the reinforced concrete floor of the vault , which is more than one meter thick, was opened and purposefully only used, unregistered 50-reais banknotes were stolen. The banknotes should be withdrawn from circulation and destroyed. The bank's alarm system was off and surveillance cameras were covered with wooden panels.

enlightenment

Antonio Jussivan Alves do Santos and Moises Teixeira da Silva were identified as the alleged main perpetrators via cameras at the airport . The latter fled a prison through a tunnel in 2001 with over 100 other inmates. Both had already escaped to São Paulo . A SIM card had been found in the tunnel with which Luis Fernando Ribeiro , a wealthy drug dealer, was to be arrested. He was accused of providing financial support for the preparations with 500,000 reais. However, he was kidnapped in early October 2005 and murdered despite the ransom payment . It is believed that Ribeiro belonged to the criminal organization Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), as the death of his kidnappers was in line with their practice.

A guard from the central bank provided the robbers with the institute's blueprints. As a result, his wife was kidnapped and forced to reveal the location of the funds. When he was arrested, one of the tunnel builders provided further information on the organization and progress of the tunnel construction. In 2008 dos Santos was captured. Between 2008 and 2010, all of the main offenders were sentenced to long prison terms. In addition, more than 150 criminal proceedings were initiated against other parties involved.

Most of the stolen money has continued to disappear.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The sequence of the attack , accessed on November 23, 2015 (in Portuguese).