Trial starts for 2nd set of suspects in A'dam armored car heist; €4.2 mil. gold missing

The trial against the second set of suspects of a violent armored car heist in Amsterdam in 2021 starts today. Eight suspects were previously convicted. Some of the loot, 4.2 million euros worth of gold bars and other precious metals, is still missing.

On 19 May 2021, a gang of armed robbers from Belgium and France smashed through the gate of Schöne Edelmetaal in Amsterdam-Noord with a stolen Porsche Cayenne and robbed a Brink’s armored truck carrying 67.3 million worth of valuables. Masked men with machine guns threatened staff and fired into the air to keep passers-by at bay.

They fled in three different getaway cars with gold bars and precious metals worth over 14 million euros. One car drove towards Diemen, the other two towards Broek in Waterland, a village north of Amsterdam. In Broek in Waterland, the police forced them off the road and arrested eight suspects - five immediately and three in the days that followed. One suspect died in the shootout.

In April last year, the court sentenced those eight suspects to between 2 and 15 years in prison. The highest sentences went to two men proven to have fired automatic firearms during the heist. Most of those suspects have appealed.

The trial that starts today is against the four suspects who fled toward Diemen with 4.2 million euros in precious metals, the Volkskrant reports. After some time on the run, the police arrested three of the suspects. The fourth is still at large. Their part of the loot is still missing.

Only two of these suspects will stand trial now. The lawyers of the other two have requested a postponement. It is not yet clear when their case will appear.