It is a complex case that the Nantes criminal court (Loire-Atlantique) must judge this week. A total of twelve people are suspected of being involved in a vast trade in gold from stolen jewelry, reports West France. The offenses for which they are being prosecuted range from receiving stolen property to concealed work, including aggravated money laundering, participation in a criminal association and the undeclared transfer of sums of at least 10,000 euros.
The gold bars were resold in Germany
Among the defendants are a former watchmaker who was based in the center of Nantes and a second-hand dealer from the Place Viarme flea market. The first sourced gold and watches from the second, claiming to have never doubted the provenance of the jewelry. He then transformed the gold into bars in his furnace and sold it in Frankfurt, Germany, for cash and without any invoice or declaration. The German trader would have purchased around 40 kg of gold from the Nantes watchmaker, merchandise estimated at just over a million euros.
Many victims of jewelry theft have become civil parties in this case. They are demanding tens of thousands of euros in compensation, indicates West France. The deliberations must be made this Friday, January 24.
Belgium
