Some 44 kilograms of gold bars from an overall cargo of 300 kg of precious metal have mysteriously disappeared from a flight bound to Zurich. An insider operation could be to blame for a €1.5 million heist at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport.
France's national aviation police (GTA) is now investigating how
and by whom the gold was stolen from the aircraft, after Air
France said it had filed a complaint with police.
"We hope the investigations will allow us to quickly determine
the sequence of events and identify those responsible," a
spokesman for Air France was quoted by the Local.
Only seven of nine cases handled by the American secure
transportation company Brink's reached the final destination in
Switzerland onboard the Air France flight last Thursday.
“We are investigating the matter, and especially the possibility
that this was an inside job,” a source familiar with the
investigation told the British Daily Mail.
Brink's, which provided for the cargo’s security, nonetheless
denied being responsible, saying "it was not in charge of the
transport and the packages were not under its responsibility when
they disappeared," writes the Local.
The firm clarified that their responsibility "was limited to
ensure the safety of the consignment during its transit at
Charles de Gaulle.”
News of the heist comes on the heels of another scandal for the
carrier, when earlier this month a record-breaking 1.3-ton, €200
million worth of cocaine was discovered being transported by Air
France from South America.
The flight from Caracas, Venezuela to Paris contained 30
suitcases of narcotics onboard and has led to the arrests of nine
suspects, including three Venezuelan security agents and three
British nationals following the cargo’s discovery on September
11th. The other three suspects were Italian nationals.
During that scandal Venezuelan Interior Minister was quick to
suggest an inside Air France job.
"How can the cocaine shipment reach France and it gets taken
out without going through the normal controls?" Miguel
Rodriguez asked.
The security firm Brink's had also been in the spotlight earlier
this year after approximately €38 million worth of diamonds
were stolen in a Brussels airport. Not a single shot was fired
during the fifteen minute heist, carried out by eight suspects
armed with AK-47s who drove two vehicles straight to the airplane
where the gems were being transferred from a Brink's armored
van.