Nantes Jewel Heist Mystery: Suspect Faces Trial as 350,000€ Loot Vanishes

Where is the loot estimated at 350,000 €? This is the answer the suspect of the Maty jewelry store heist, committed in June 2024 in the center of Nantes (Loire-Atlantique), must provide. The 39-year-old man is in the dock this Monday, October 6, at the criminal court. The loot could be in Spain or Morocco. He faces up to ten years in prison.

The Maty jewelry store, at the corner of Crébillon Street and Contrescarpe Street in Nantes, was burgled in the morning of June 13, 2024, reports Ouest-France. This burglary was followed by a fire that broke out in the apartment just above the business. Alerted, the firefighters arrived on the scene and managed to extinguish the fire. They discovered a hole that connected directly to the jewelry store. The police were also on the scene. They opened an investigation for burglary and arson.

The investigations of the investigators from the Division of Organized and Specialized Crime (DCOS, formerly PJ) proved fruitful. Looking for clues, they found the suspect’s DNA at the scene of the heist. They managed to arrest a 39-year-old man. He was taken into custody, indicted for burglary in a warehouse aggravated by the additional circumstance of concealing his face and damage by a dangerous means for persons, then incarcerated. His criminal record bears the mention of four convictions, "in particular for acts of aggravated violence, death threats, malicious phone calls, drug use, driving under the influence of alcohol."

Only one of the stolen jewels was found during the searches, as well as clothing matching those identified on the cameras. The damage from the burglary is estimated at 350,000 €. The suspect has confessed. He claimed to have since lost the stolen goods. His request for release had been rejected.