French police hunt Louvre thieves but warn crown jewels may never be recovered

PARIS: French police have launched one of the country’s biggest manhunts after the theft of the French crown jewels from the Louvre, but experts say the priceless artefacts are likely gone for good, dismantled, melted or sold off within days.

Law enforcement officials and art crime specialists told Reuters that while investigators are confident they will eventually catch the culprits, recovering the jewels will be far harder.

“Once they’ve been cut into smaller jewels, the deed is done — it’s over,” said Christopher Marinello, founder of Art Recovery International. “We’ll never see these pieces intact again.”

AUDACIOUS HEIST SPARKS SECURITY QUESTIONS

The robbery, which took place on Sunday at the world’s most visited museum, has been described as a national humiliation and prompted urgent reviews of security at France’s cultural institutions.

“If you target the Louvre, the most important museum in the world, and get away with the French crown jewels, something was wrong with security,” said art investigator Arthur Brand.

The Louvre had already raised concerns about insufficient funding for security, and at least four other French museums have reported thefts in the past two months.

EXPERTS SAY GANG WAS HIGHLY TRAINED

Specialised police unit BRB, which came to be known for handling the Kim Kardashian jewel heist in 2016, is leading the investigation, poring over surveillance footage and activating informants.

Authorities believe only a small, professional network of criminals could have pulled off such a job. But experts say the jewels are likely already broken down into smaller stones or melted for resale in diamond hubs such as Antwerp.

“It’s a race against time,” said Brand. “These gangs know they have only five or six minutes before police arrive — if it takes longer, they walk away.”

MUSEUMS UNDER PRESSURE ACROSS EUROPE

With cultural institutions facing budget cuts, experts warn that museum thefts are rising across Europe.

“If you have jewels or gold in your collections, you need to be worried,” said Marinello.

Security consultants are urging museums to focus on slowing thieves down, adding more barriers and time delays rather than trying to achieve total protection.

As one Finnish museum director put it: “A tightening everyday economy is not the best basis for making the investments needed to mitigate potential threats.”