the essential
Spectacular breakage this Monday morning at La Poste in the Izards district, north of Toulouse. Individuals blew up an entrance with explosives before taking €470,000. “Very professional” work according to the specialized police officers.
An explosion shook the Izards district on Monday morning in Toulouse. “More gunshots and a settling of scores?” asks a resident while observing the police officers who carry out the findings at the back of La Poste, Place Micoulaud. Not an assassination but a heist, well prepared, efficient and very profitable.
In a few minutes, a team blew up the rear access which provides access to the bank's airlock. A place where cash conveyors drop off bags containing thousands of euros. This money is then placed in the bank ATM of the postal agency or at the counter.
The bags of money had just been deposited
By opening this armored passage with explosives, the thieves had access to several bags filled with notes which had just been placed. “This theft took place only a few minutes after this drop-off,” warns a police officer surprised by the “hyper-precise” timing of this theft.
Above all, investigators are surprised by the quality of the destruction via explosives. “The closure was blown but the walls of the building were not damaged. They are almost intact. The individual or individuals who carried out this action are very familiar with explosives and know how to use them,” analyzes a police officer.
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INFO LA DEPECHE. They blow up the access door of a La Poste bank ATM and take 400,000 euros
The team of criminals quickly fled. No doubt on board two cars even if the police, who had already heard various witnesses getting out of bed by the sound of the explosion, were waiting to study the images from the video surveillance cameras to specify the number of members of this commando.
La Poste refuses to confirm it but these individuals allegedly took €470,000! Enough to have a good end of year celebration. A “pro” job, according to specialists, far removed from operations with backhoe loaders or with slings which sometimes makes it possible to take away machines and their boxes provided but with banknotes which are immediately covered in ink. This would not be the case here.
The Toulouse public prosecutor's office contacted investigators from the DCOS, the organized and specialized crime division, the former judicial police. Professionals who, in the cold this Monday morning, multiplied their findings outside and in the post office. An establishment “closed until further notice” according to the notice quickly placed at the entrance.
The work of a “great” team
“There are not many teams capable of carrying out such an operation,” observes a police official who, this morning, lacked the reference points to talk about similar heists. Are Toulouse thieves capable of pulling off such a stunt? “We must be wary of the obvious,” warns a police officer. “But if a team of this level exists in Toulouse, we don’t know about it.”
The investigations promise to be long. Probably under the orders of an investigating judge. Toulouse or the specialized interregional jurisdiction of Bordeaux? Too early to know. The first investigations will direct the file which may also lead to foreign criminals.
In the meantime, a trader surprised to have discovered the firefighters at the post office early this Monday morning, is surprised by this success in a neighborhood used to drug dealers. “It shows that some people are still thinking,” says this man when the police get excited at the idea of tracking down “this great team”.
