How the World's Smartest Criminals Were Caught By a Salami Sandwich

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About Thoughty2
Thoughty2 (Arran) is a British KZbinr and gatekeeper of useless facts. Thoughty2 creates mind-blowing factual videos about science, tech, history, opinion and just about everything else.
#Thoughty2
Writing: Steven Rix
Editing: Sandeep Rai

[@cadburybunny]

Considering Diamonds are the biggest scam on earth ... it's always heartening to hear of big heists that embarrass the Diamond industry.

[@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney]

Agreed. Their hardness is useful, but cloudy cheap lab diamonds are just as good for that as 'good' ones. The 'best' ones in the world are indistinguishable from plain old glass to 90+% of eyes, clear and boring, unimpressive visually in every way. And when you factor in the atrocities committed to obtain/sell them, FUCK diamonds. Literally any other stone I can think of (including non-precious ones, granite is prettier than diamond) is cooler than diamonds. I'll never understand how diamonds (which are actually pretty damn plentiful in nature) are more valuable than genuinely beautiful stones like emeralds, opals, hell, even things like agate and jasper.

[@mickthebandit]

De Beers have warehouses full of diamonds. They are not rare at all. They know that if the diamonds were put on the market the prices would plummet

[@seanlepley1474]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣....yea FUCK'EM........😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@primesspct2]

right! What a scam! Besides, there are far more beautiful gems! In my humble opinion/

[@00dfm00]

@@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney 'Conflict diamonds' account for maybe 5% of diamonds in the last decade and it keeps shrinking. Canada is one source of conflict-free diamonds. The bigger scam are lab diamonds. The markup on those lab-pooped stones is way beyond natural diamonds - and they just make rich corporations richer rather than supporting mining families and communities. I personally also like coloured stones but diamonds can look great next to those.

[@Morg2851]

I love thieves stories, I'm always amazed by the sheer incompetence of both security and criminals.

[@kareemelrefaay5300]

Criminals have their excuses for working in uncharted territory and doing something which shouldn't be possible and without any training (they aren't teams like the movies) so they are at a huge disadvantage while securing has no excuse as they are in a position of power with every advantage possible doing something they trained for

[@Morg2851]

​@@kareemelrefaay5300 I was mainly thinking about the one guy from this video having a panic attack while being tasked with the destruction of all the proof.

[@samrester6254]

Agreed. It is simply amazing the sheer number of times the thieves are caught because of a pure lack of discretion or a 'weak' moment. I wonder if that speaks towards the type of people who usually choose that lifestyle?

[@leicestergux]

​@@kareemelrefaay5300 they 100% can be teams like in the movies I've known them in my lifetime and they can be very organised

[@treeherder42]

@@kareemelrefaay5300 in situations like this type of heist the security is kind of at a disadvantage. The security have to cover as many weaknesses as possible, while the thieves have to find a way around whatever is put in place. Basically the security have to think of all situations while the thieves just need to find one way round it all because there are always going to multiple ways to get in. The only side that gives security an advantage is if they can limit the time available, the shorter the time between people being present the better. Add systems that are slow to bypass and you can make it nearly perfect by simply making it too time consuming to break. Can't escape the ultimate issue though, if someone really wants to find a way in then they will get in.

[@Agbazu]

The most fun part about this story is that it sounds so fictional and made up, but it's completely true. I love this one. From Nigeria.

[@andrewdillon7837]

Hi from New Zealand , Are you that Nigerian Prince i've been hearing about ?

[@sincerelyspazz]

It’s not lol. It’s fiction

[@handyman1957]

Hey, I want my million bucks dang it : p Wait, was he taking notes?

[@molrat]

love this one too, from Belgium. Antwerp

[@GLHVAlways]

4:55 pen camera in 2001? I don't believe that a person could buy a pen camera in 2001 with good enough resolution for the images to be usable and what about the storage, how did that pen stored the images if for example micro SD cards were manufactured almost 5 years later

[@wakkowarner5357]

this is proof you shouldnt get a childhood friend to do crimes with you.

[@davidlancaster8152]

Absolutely 😅

[@joemartin9207]

Or maybe a better one

[@freewithnature]

Maybe a new friend instead then.

[@pantherdddjvdgx]

Speedy…

[@thebigpicture2032]

Plus you shouldn’t bring a business card to a criminal endeavour or keep receipts that would tie you to the crime. Perhaps he was hoping to use it as a tax write off, calling it a business dinner

[@MrJC1]

They were so clever and yet so incredibly stupid at the same time. It is kinda hilarious actually. That must be why they got such light sentences... because they gave everyone a good laugh. It's quality entertainment. 🤣

[@jacobramirez4894]

Well said

[@mikemurphy5898]

It's just Speedy who was such a piece of shit that he took it upon himself to get everyone caught. I absolutely hate people who think they know better than everyone else and deviate from the plan.

[@johnjoe69]

​​@@mikemurphy5898they were all incredibly dumb about the evidence. The evidence was literally paper, PAPER, and a sandwich. could have been easily discared by ripping it to bits then soaking it and it would have been unrecognizable and just tossing it into a toilet. The sandwich the same tactic would work, or just eat it or throw it outside in the back alley of a sandwich shop.

[@WokerThanThou]

😂I used to save all my receipts. Then the internet came along and I realized I didn't need to do all that needless busy work. That physical stuff is gone the moment I walk out the door.

[@3khoDance]

Gosh darn speedy! or anyone with anxiety issues. You need a team that stays calm.

[@hxreal7682]

Thoughy2, the best storyteller of our generation. I simply can't miss a video!

[@hankbellamy]

Count dankula heaps better

[@appa561]

@@hankbellamy imagine the collaboration... thoughtfuldank - thought-provoking intensity...

[@georgebarber1423]

exurb1a >@@hankbellamy

[@nickevershedmusic8927]

For sure!

[@hackdeva]

Ballen is a baller

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

I gotta say...this must be made into a movie! I was rooting for the thieves to succeed in stealing scam rocks

[@mirandarae7678]

There is a movie called inside job about a bank heist. It was very entertaining from what I remember I just googled it and it's actually called Inside Man*

[@Winkle89]

Does anyone else LOVE it when Thoughty2 gets ahead of himself?

[@aeiboucaru5398]

Yes I have Thoughty2 as well...

[@MrBud667]

The irony is that they were able to pull off the heist because of sloppy implementation of security practices and they were caught because of their own sloppiness in dealing with the cleanup. Even if you can beat the system can you beat your own shortcomings that blow the whole thing? Still those guys were clever and even though they got caught, they are still probably very rich!

[@Veladus]

Reminds me of that story of one of the world's most wanted hackers that got caught because he was using his cat's name as a password

[@knellycornnan5132]

Another lesson to learn. Don't let fear drive you to do irrational things that could make what you fear most easier to become a reality. Great video!

[@mugnuz]

As if that would be easy xD

[@knellycornnan5132]

@@mugnuz I some cases yes, but one must remember that if they fear something they don't want to do something that could help make their fear into a reality. If he had just kept calm like the other criminals and stuck to the plan, then they could have possibly gotten away with it.

[@mugnuz]

@@knellycornnan5132 sure you wont be feared if you dont get into fear... Its self evident. But thats the problem. The thought process in those situations isnt:"dont be feared or itll get worse" but " oh shit if i get feared everything will be worse"...

[@Bubblemantis]

Fear is the mindkiller.

[@philpryce5656]

Love the way you tell a story. Keep it up. I've read WTF. Awesome book. Had me laughing out loud at some of his antics. Brilliant.

[@crazestyle83]

The master of keys was clearly more cautious and disposed of his own evidence. 😂

[@Alun49]

One of the things I really like about Thoughty2, is that he hit on a very simple idea for his channel. By researching interesting stories on all sorts of subjects, and making entertaining videos to tell them, he hit on an absolute winner. I love the channel and how entertaining and informative it is.

[@shepshape2585]

This channel has become my favorite KZbin channel. Great narration, great production and editing, and they always pick the most interesting stories. Keep up the great work and thank you for all the entertainment.

[@jonathonE]

So glad to have been able to watch this early. Thoughty2 you’re an amazing storyteller and I think I can say we all appreciate your dedication to making great videos every time!

[@kogrio4290]

Thoughty2 telling us a story about a bunch of thieves.... I really needed this today❤

[@SpaceCattttt]

Why, are you an aspiring thief?

[@name8213]

You should make a video about Roman von Ungern-Sternberg. He was an insane Russian general who tried to restore the Mongol empire during ww1 and was known as the mad baron. People thought he was the second coming of Genghis Khan and some thought he was the god of war.

[@adamheyes3594]

Thank you Thoughty, you really cheer me up and I love learning the quirky facts you give us. I watch all your videos and if I could I would support you financially to make more content - maybe one day I will be able to! Your videos help me keep my chin up on down days and I appreciate that more than I can say! Well done, thank you and keep going! X

[@susanandrews2294]

Brilliant content and the stunning simplicity of the thieves in overcoming the security systems had me literally roflmao. Thank you as always Aaron! You are a treasure yourself :-)

[@mattbridgewater6077]

I’ve already heard about this heist from Pierce Brosnan’s programme but I had to watch your video about it because somehow you tell stories in the most intriguing and gripping way. Always look forward to a Thoughty2 post

[@benjaminandersen1097]

i love the lesson at the end, no matter how hard a task lies before you, dont give up, no matter the odds, break it down into into tasks, or chunks, that are more manageable, and dont stop trying!

[@geoffas]

Especially, when it comes to losing body weight 😛

[@abutsho4911]

You are one of the best storytellers on youtube. I eagerly wait for ur videos and watch them as soon as they are released. They are witty, funny, and well analyzed. Animations are top notch as well. Keep doing what you are doing. Please try making more videos on mysterious events, especially the events which baffled the world.

[@deyoswed]

Thanks, thoughty2. Really appreciate the time and effort you put into your videos. They're a perfect blend of intriguing and entertaining❤

[@Jason-lw7tk]

Awesome job as always. The time and effort put into these videos is greatly appreciated. The animation, your delivery and humor make it so much fun :)

[@misssherrie-may1041]

I love this channel. This guy can tell a story about anything & make it interesting.

[@RikJSmith]

My favorite KZbin Channel Ever !! You have the perfect Voice for Narration and your Content is always Amazing . Thanks for what you do . Hope you're doing well and staying safe . 🎸

[@joe94c]

Thank you speedy. Your mental breakdown gave us a great story

[@Keef_DGAF]

Thoughty and TWF are my favorite two channels for this type of content. Thoughty doesnt release nearly as often as i would like, but thats cool because all his releases are well constructed and executed.

[@Mr_Grimbley]

Did you know that camels love to dance when the feeling is right?

[@Keef_DGAF]

@@Mr_Grimbley All hail Hecklefish our strict but kind master

[@billkipper3264]

When I lived in Las Vegas, NV in the early eighties there was a somewhat similar but not nearly so lucrative bank heist. As I recall a woman had worked at a bank but had quit a few weeks before the job. She and her boyfriend broke into the bank on a Friday night, were somehow able to defeat the security systems and open the time locked vault. Apparently, they spent the weekend in the vault and then escaped with two and a half million dollars. They left various false trails including airline and bus tickets to various locations and just disappeared. As far as I know they were never caught. My guess is they drove straight to Mexico and probably continued into South America.

[@galaxyanimal]

I'd probably do the same. If I'm willing to take the risk of doing a big bank heist, I'm willing to get some fake documentation & living out the rest of my days in a country with a weak gov't, or if I wanted to live in my home country again, I'd forge documents in my new country & come as an immigrant.

[@klevens5496]

@@galaxyanimalBut why would you ever want to do that though?

[@galaxyanimal]

@@klevens5496 What, live in a country w/a weak gov't or return to my home country?

[@klevens5496]

@@galaxyanimal Why would you ever want to do a robbery like the one explained in the video?

[@galaxyanimal]

@@klevens5496 If I would it would be to live like a king for the rest of my life, but I think it's not worth the gamble to go to prison for very long.

[@dougfeith6272]

This is another awesome video. The way you tell the story and the aniations you mix with it flow together perfectly. Thanks for all the video you make for us all.

[@ravenstar100]

I love you heist stories, so much education and humor! The best. I'm still hoping you'll do the "Diamond Geezers" one day.

[@kieransimpson6113]

I love your stuff thoughty2 keep it up, your helping me keep going through hard times and I appreciate it.

[@MissSuperNerd]

Half a billion dollar heist😮!!! My stomach hurts from the anxiety just thinking of the planning & pulling this off. This heist screams inside job🤔

[@somratkhan8688]

The security guards' sloppiness helped them more than speedy ever could.

[@EmmaBirch-ye1du]

OMG, this Guy´s stories are Awesome! And He tells them with such breathtaking English accent! Bravo, Sir! You´re simply the BEST!

[@bevshanks2972]

Thank you Thoughty2, your work is much appreciated 🙏

[@BloodDripss]

i gotta say, i didnt like the moustache at FIRST, but you have really grown into it and now you pull off the facial hair extremely well! devilishly handsome and a great storyteller to boot! thanks for continuing all these years to give us great stories in a fun and digestible way.

[@geoffas]

I'm not so sure... that 'tache-only was rather special and well-groomed.

[@southernfriedwestcoaster]

I loved WTF and I love your storytelling in the video. Your videos and other super great KZbinrs have replaced TV for me💖💖💖

[@6theripper642]

Awesome story telling as always Thoughty2. Cheers!

[@averyhenrichsen1811]

Amazing story and storytelling. Best channel on you tube!

[@katekrylov]

I am not surprised they were given such ridiculously short sentences. The whole story was truly funny ( kinda like some Italian comedy) and surely very educating. Plus all the stuff was insured of course, ha! But, to get ruined by the simple and primitive human factor! Wow!

[@Bubblemantis]

Im sure the all got light sentences cuz they were connected and could bribe officials with millions and millions after somebody liquidated the diamonds.

[@MyAtori]

Brilliantly told …As always …😊

[@adinalim410]

thank you for always posting such entertaining and high-quality videos!

[@megs4193]

I love your humour, and a love the clever and warm hearted spin you put at the end of a story, your such a sweety, thank you for your work 😃👍🦘🐨🇦🇺.

[@Xandantez]

It was also claimed that when they counted the loot it was significantly less than expected, somewhere around 20mil. Iff true, the theory is that the owners of the contents of the vault had been tipped off and took their diamonds out before the hiest in order to claim insurance.

[@davidlancaster8152]

Good to know. Thanks. Definitely puts some rosettes on this cake.

[@geoffas]

Apparently there was smt like 50 tonnes of gold in the NY 'Twin Towers' before the 'terrorist attack' which was never accounted for. I think it was in the JPM vault.

[@mamasimmerplays4702]

Would be just as valid for the building owner to have planned the heist, and to have replaced the most valuable stones with cheaper options first. Then the thieves get the blame, and in an ideal outcome they're never caught so nobody knows that what was stolen wasn't what the diamond owners and their insurers thought was in the vault. If too many people knew about it, sooner or later one would talk. But if only the owner knew about the substitution, and the person tasked with organising the heist didn't know who they were working for, then there's nobody to tell tales. And the owner of the building is the best placed person to leave such huge gaps in the security system.

[@davidlancaster8152]

Being a good criminal is hard work. Better to get a legitimate job. This is a crazy story I heard on Little Shop of Crime. I'm glad Thoughty2 gave it his treatment. BTW it's not just Italian criminals that know the best food, all Italians know. Thanks for sharing that brilliant smile with us.

[@raider6714]

Wow. Their story is actually one of the best ones I've heard in years. There needs to be a movie about this A.S.A.P. and it needs to be a good movie. This is my second time watching this video and won't be my last. Absolutely love it Thoughty2, awesome narration, and thankyou for making this video about this heist (that happened only 20 years ago!) so that we could all learn about it.

[@sharonstone8563]

thank you. i love the stories. you bring them to life. Also the animation is great.

[@Greatgiant19]

Incredible storytelling on this one

[@thetopfootycoach]

Love the storytelling as always and it's as with these kind of cases, it just takes one person to fail to bring everything down. Reminds me of the Argentine bank robbery which was amazingly executed but one of the guys wives fucked it all up

[@september1683]

That sounds interesting (Argentine bank robbery). I will look for it. Maybe I cand find something here on youtube.

[@thetopfootycoach]

trying to remember where I saw it, was a couple of days ago but isn't in my history, the robbery was perfect until they got away naturally@@september1683

[@tom9593]

Great segment !!!! One of the best channels on KZbin.

[@JacKT_3205]

Such an awesome video concept, well done as always!

[@danielparsons3995]

A foot long key impossible to pick or recreate. Hi this is the lockpickinglawyer, and today we're going to show you the flaws in this key and to prove it's not a fluke imma do it twice 😂

[@kitefan1]

A large key should be easier to recreate. People have made dupes off of images on the internet of regular keys. With a large one you can see the ridges and cuts more clearly. You just need a set of tools. Just hard to walk out with a foot of metal in your pocket. This is why people here who key their restrooms attach a large object to the key. They are not worried about stealing, just walking off with the key and making any future restroom users grumpy. Also, lockpicking lawyer is anonymous.

[@danielparsons3995]

@@kitefan1 right!? 😂

[@nickevershedmusic8927]

Those guards surely lost their jobs after that

[@rumpig845]

Fantastic episode, Thoughty. Really gripping. Cheers 🍻

[@exclusiveaccess85]

Thank you man is a very interesting tale and I love the tech of the story and by the way I like the name of each person of the robbers I already knew about the story but I didn’t know the full story, it was a great video Thank you and keep doing them,by the way I would love to have that book and actually it would be my second book to have in my very own collection of books 📚

[@Xerdar36]

God damn Speedy…

[@leozyofficial3523]

Our channel 💙✌️ I missed you

[@jkumwenda]

Love your voice and the research is always detailed

[@LilFiggy]

Entertaining, interesting, & informative as usual, good sir. Keep up the good work, Thoughty2.

[@phila9288]

Hey "42" here

[@somerandomfella]

Has it been made into a movie?

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

21:28 Nice little Guy Ritchie tribute to "Snatch" you made here! Very nice touch.

[@jtjr5274]

Your videos and Stories always bring a smile to my face

[@flickingbollocks5542]

I have no problem with burglars stealing shiny stones and ingots of metal from the ultra wealthy. As well as bits of paper that represent money that was created out of nowhere 🍑💨💸 Diamonds are NOT rare. They deliberately push up the price by limiting the numbers of best ones to ridiculous prices. If you want to spend thousands on and rare metals them go ahead, as they keep their worth against inflation.* But remember they are bits of rock and metal. Investments may go down as well as up. Seek advice from a accredited financial advisor.

[@lugnuts7800]

Of all the KZbin channels I subscribe to,yours is by far my favorite.

[@miaryman647]

Great stories hun & your animation skills are amazing ! 🎉😂❤

[@LiveAndLetBike]

Great story and very well told as always!

[@robertbretschneider765]

Thanks for this late-night episode of criminal history! Interesting that the ads are now including novels. But very fitting to u, since ur selling stories too... i am pleased, at least its no scam or luxury product.

[@joewebb1092]

One of the best channel to watch keep up the good work bro

[@chandanritvik1]

The security left the vault on weekends!! Hilarious 🤣🤣

[@deboracopeland4795]

You sure can tell a story! Love this channel.

[@Adrian_lulu]

You're the best story teller I've ever seen . You excecute everything perfectly

[@CaraCreations1000]

best video in a while! super interesting. glad their sentences weren’t too bad

[@davehooper5115]

Wow, I've never heard of this before. It's such a great story, and very witty as usual, nice one

[@ashfordralphbarendse833]

I haven't missed one of your videos for years.. when I was working I used to be subscribed but at the moment I can just say thanks man I enjoy your content every week 🙏

[@DefianceFinance]

love your stories mate!

[@diogoribeiro7009]

fantastic work once again. well done.

[@NoVIcE_Source]

Idk if I commented already but i love this channel so much And these robbery stories are so cool And the lesson :D

[@NS1YNWA]

Absolutely brilliant videos always locked on start to finish 👏

[@jamesytgaming5237]

Always love your work and how you educate us with intriguing videos about events that happened in the past. Thank you for what you do and looking forward to more of your amazing videos ❤.

[@senji8583]

9:04 I find it strange that the man in charge not only removed the guards COMPLETELY for 2 days, but also disabled the lightning to save on electricity bill.

[@schwingedeshaehers]

If he does it every weekend, it costs around 28 % less (probably it saves more)

[@senji8583]

There is also the laughable 5 year sentence despite them not giving back the diamonds. The prosecution wasn't very passionate.

[@kitefan1]

Thank your for another excellent story. I particularly like heist stories where no one gets dead.

[@davidlancaster8152]

Totally. I love it when nobody dies in the story.

[@MikeSmith-bn1qr]

Cleaning lady named 'Susan'.😂 beautiful.

[@jo-annemostert]

Thoroughly enjoyed this one. Thank you

[@jeffbowes1]

Thanks for all your entertaining stories.

[@Older_Archer]

Thoroughly enoyed this! Long Live T'Thoughty2!

[@garrettwitkowski4193]

I love you channel and the very interesting stories of history and actual events that have occurred

[@richardabia9735]

Great video !!! Very fun and interesting !!! God bless you Thoughty 2 !!!

[@tannerwilson9085]

Ive been watching for years now. Thank you

[@nettejakobs2501]

Thank you for yet another awesome video - I looove them 😊

[@maud3444]

This story was better told than Ocean's Eleven! Being Belgian myself, I never knew the story behind this heist

[@yusefaslam9675]

Wow, this was an amazing story, and an amazing video! Thank you Thoughty2 for this amazing content.

[@SelassieAckah-lv8zc]

"Hey, Thoughty2 here" it never gets old 😂😂

[@zayi8153]

Thank you for these brilliant videos. Stay happy ❤❤

[@PUMPADOUR]

That was great story and video! Thank you!

[@hampasbakal]

I always enjoy watching your videos. Always interesting and fun to watch.👍👍

[@souvik610]

Thank you so much, I really enjoy your videos!

[@teszta255]

Thank you Thoughty for the greate video again! I really enjoyed it!

[@MrPhotonXD2]

Your editors are legends