Paris (France) (AFP) – Gold loot of more than six million euros found, eight people indicted, arrests abroad: this is the dragnet carried out by investigators after two robberies of precious metal factories intended for luxury jewelry in Besançon at the end of 2025 and the beginning of November.

Published on: 08/11/2026 - 20:46

On December 19, 2025, an organized gang armed robbery was committed in "a company specializing in the machining of precious metals" in Besançon, recalled Sunday the boss of Pnaco (national anti-organized crime prosecutor's office), Vanessa Perrée.

The perpetrators, armed in particular with Kalashnikov-type rifles, had stolen "several kilograms of gold before fleeing using their firearms in the direction of the police", she said in a press release.

Then on the morning of November 3, a new robbery took place targeting a similar company located nearby. This time the criminals stole “several dozen kilograms of gold, as well as jewelry, before fleeing,” according to Ms. Perrée.

“Heavily armed”, they kidnapped and threatened certain employees and subjected some to violence, she said.

Thanks to “significant investigative work”, the “commando likely to have participated in the events” was located, according to the prosecutor.

And between Tuesday and Wednesday, sixteen people were arrested and placed in police custody, while “cross-references” were “made” between the two robberies.

An arsenal of weapons seized

“Simultaneously, and with the support of Eurojust, the European judicial cooperation agency, three arrest warrants” were issued and “the wanted individuals were arrested in Switzerland and Spain,” detailed Ms. Perrée.

The investigations also made it possible to "find all of the stolen loot, almost 54 kilograms of gold, the value of which was estimated at more than six million euros", she said.

A large arsenal, including heavy weapons, a rocket launcher and explosives, was also seized.

For the moment, eight people aged 26 to 57 (seven men and one woman) have been indicted, in particular for theft by an organized gang with weapons, attempted murder by an organized gang, acquisition, possession, transport of weapons or ammunition of categories A and B (weapons of war), kidnapping and sequestration, and participation in a criminal association.

Foreign cooperation

Seven people were placed in pre-trial detention. The eighth indicted was placed under judicial supervision, contrary to what the Pnaco, operational since last January, wanted.

Two of those indicted were sought for their conviction, each, to a sentence of eighteen years of criminal imprisonment, pronounced in their absence by the Assize Court of Meurthe-et-Moselle on April 12, 2024 for theft with a weapon and theft with a weapon as a repeat offender.

Three other people placed in police custody (two men and a woman) were also the subject of arrest warrants and must be presented to the investigating judges in the coming days with a view to their possible indictment.

Five police custody cases have also been lifted without prosecution at this stage.

“The investigations will now continue, in close collaboration in particular with the Swiss and Spanish authorities, in order to identify and prosecute all the perpetrators,” underlined Ms. Perrée who welcomed the “speed” of the police services and the “effectiveness of cooperation with our foreign partners”.

© 2026 AFP

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