A heist for the history books

The infamous Brink’s-Mat robbery at London’s Heathrow International Trading Estate in 1983 targeted £26m in gold bullion — about three tons in total — as well as diamonds and cash. Dubbed ‘the crime of the century,’ the heist was so big that the BBC once reportedly claimed that ‘anyone wearing gold jewellery bought in the UK after 1983 is probably wearing Brink’s-Mat gold’.

The bullion was the property of Johnson Matthey Bankers Ltd, which collapsed the following year after loans that it made defaulted. Though two perpetrators were convicted, the majority of the gold has never been recovered.

Learn more about the Brink's-Mat robbery.