They didn’t use an armored truck they used a trailer to transport our jewelry,” said Ming Cheng, a jeweler who worked the show with his wife. “Brink’s was supposed to use an armored truck. The truck’s lock was taken after it was cut. That’s not the level of security the jewelers thought they had signed up for. The thieves simply cut the lock, as evidenced by the slivers of metal left behind, and appeared to have taken it with them. There were no surveillance cameras, and an incident report noted the jewelry was secured inside the trailer by a single locking device in the rear. While the cab was armored, according to a review of sheriff’s deputies’ body-camera footage, the trailer actually carrying the valuables was not.
The vehicle transporting millions of dollars in jewelry from San Mateo was not one of the company’s famous armored cars but a semitruck. (In 2018, the company bought a major competitor, Dunbar, for $520 million.) It is so dominant that jewelers and showrunners I spoke with said they fear criticizing Brink’s will lead the company to ban them as customers, which could end their businesses. It’s often the only option for shipping valuables securely at shows like the San Mateo expo. In the jewelry trade, Brink’s has also become something of a monopoly, according to jewelers. Its trucks, a fleet of rolling vaults, have long tempted thieves, from the 1981 heist that killed two police officers and a Brink’s guard in New York to a string of armed robberies last month in Chicago. They say they feel robbed twice: first by the thieves, then by Brink’s refusal to pay them for what they believe is the company’s own negligence.įounded in the 19th century, Brink’s has been transporting valuables, mostly cash, between banks for so long that its name is synonymous with high security. Even if the thieves are found, it might not help most of the jewelers whose livelihoods were effectively wiped out they are locked in a bitter legal fight with Brink’s that has prevented them from receiving any insurance money. In the ten months since, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI have announced no suspects. The heist, by some estimates, is the largest jewelry theft by value in modern U.S.
#Brinks security signs driver
When the driver returned 27 minutes later, dozens of bags of precious gems and watches sent by Malki and 14 other dealers estimated to be worth up to $100 million were gone. His co-pilot was asleep in a berth in the cab. the next day, at an unremarkable truck stop right at the Los Angeles County line, the guard driving the Brink’s truck went inside to grab a bite. Soon, Malki learned he had made the wrong decision. He handed his entire collection to a Brink’s guard who packed the items into the truck and told Malki he would receive them the following day for another show five hours south in Pasadena. Instead of moving the merchandise himself in his car, Malki had opted for what he thought was the safest possible alternative: a Brink’s armored truck. These shows feature dozens of jewelers from all over the country selling everything from decorative beads to rare Rolexes. Malki, who got his first taste of the industry by moving diamonds for Zales, is a traveling salesman who continually packs and unpacks items that are sometimes worth millions apiece. Up until then, July 10, 2022, had been a normal day for Malki, a veteran jeweler for 40 years who sold most of his estate collection at shows like this one in San Mateo, California, just south of San Francisco.
Strange and suspicious individuals have been seen hanging around the expo, the show organizer warned, urging people to leave with extreme caution. Jean Malki was carefully wrapping up a necklace containing more than 25 carats of fancy yellow diamonds, a rare Australian-mined Lightning Ridge black opal, and a deep-magenta Burmese ruby after a long day of sales at the International Gem & Jewelry Show when a bewildering announcement came over the loudspeaker. Photo: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department California sheriff’s deputies search the back of the Brink’s truck where millions in jewelry were stolen last year.
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