Jewelery and gems worth millions — a conservative figure estimated their value at up to $10 million — were stolen from a Brink armored truck near Los Angeles last week, the security firm said, leaving some victims to wonder how such an accident occurred. theft could have taken place.
The merchandise was loaded onto a Brink truck from an event hosted by the International Gem and Jewelry Show on July 10 in San Mateo, near San Francisco, said Brandy Swanson, the group’s event director. She said the truck was on its way to another exhibit, 370 miles away, at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena.
But under circumstances undisclosed, the merchandise was removed from the truck near Los Angeles early Monday, said Dana Callahan, a spokeswoman for Brink’s.
The value of the stolen merchandise, including several gold and diamond necklaces, was not immediately apparent. It was also not clear how many pieces had been taken.
One of the jewelers, who requested anonymity for security reasons given the expensive jewelry he handles, estimated the total value of what was stolen at between $20 million and $50 million. Mrs. Callahan said it was less than $10 million.
“According to the information the customers have provided us with before shipping their items, the total value of the missing items is less than $10 million,” Brink’s said in a statement. “We are working with law enforcement and we will fully reimburse our customers for the value of their assets that were stolen, in accordance with the terms of our contract.”
The jeweler said that Brink’s was not transparent with the jewelers and that many fundamental questions about the loss remained unanswered.
Neither the authorities nor Brink’s released details of what had happened, including where the theft took place and whether anyone had been injured.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation said the agency was working with local authorities but could not provide more information. In its statement, Brink’s called the episode “a loss incident.”
