To fight against the new generation of watch thieves in Paris, increasingly specialized investigators

by time news

The investigation lasted seven months. On September 28, two individuals suspected of being at the origin of watch trafficking in an organized gang were arrested by officials of the Parisian territorial security (ST). The case is emblematic of the evolution of teams specializing in the theft of luxury watches, of which Paris remains the world capital.

On February 15, three minors from Val-d’Oise were arrested by teams from the anti-crime brigades of the 8e et 16e arrondissements of Paris, just after a violent robbery: a Rolex worth 40,000 euros torn from the wrist of a dentist, rue Bizet. Were it not for its quick resolution, the case might seem almost trivial. But the investigators of the ST “watch groups” are convinced that they are dealing with a structured team.

Checks made, a mysterious phone call was made to the office of the victim the days preceding the attack. At the end of the line, an anonymous interlocutor strongly insisted on obtaining details on the opening hours of the cabinet. The line is identified, tapped. The procedure is repeated and, on June 29, another dentist, who shares his passion for fine watchmaking on Instagram, is in turn relieved of his Rolex, with an estimated value of 20,000 euros, at the foot of his building.

The investigations have established that the holder of the line, now called “the principal” by the police, was near the scene on the day of the attack. He also appears involved in several ongoing projects, working closely with an accomplice whom the investigators soon nicknamed “the logistician”. To him falls the task of recruiting small hands or finding vehicles.

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The two characters seem to be very interested in the owner of a very prominent restaurant in the Champs-Elysées district, owner of a Patek Philippe estimated at 250,000 euros. A plan of aggression, followed from start to finish by the investigators, is set up for September 27. He ultimately fails. The next day, the “ordering party” and the “logistician” were arrested. In police custody, the two defendants began by denying the facts before padlocking themselves in complete silence. The first was imprisoned, the second placed under judicial control.

Bad point for tourism

Their profile: “Twenties, known to the police, but not that much”, whispers a source, either the spitting image of the new generation of watch thieves, originating from sensitive Parisian neighborhoods or – less frequently – from the suburbs, more or less organized into teams with drawers liable to perpetual rearrangements, but violent in most cases . “Offenders capable of reducing a human being to the value of the watch he wears on his wrist, regardless of his age or his situation”, advances Commissioner Julien Herbaut, head of territorial security in Paris.

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