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€1.6m gold raid on Air France jet

Security guards load bullion and watch plane take off but ingots were missing after it landed in Switzerland

THIEVES have stolen €1.6million of gold bullion from an Air France plane on a flight between Paris and Switzerland.

Specialist gendarmes are investigating the theft which came after security staff from Brink’s watched the gold being loaded into the hold of the Air France jet at Paris Charles de Gaulle then watched the aircraft take off. However, Brink’s discovered the shipment was missing at Zurich the next day.

The news comes after police announced the seizure of €200million of cocaine that had arrived in Paris on an Air France plane from Venezuela.

Police say that around 50kg of gold ingots went missing from the last Thursday’s Swiss flight but was only discovered when the shipment was checked the next day.

The gold transfer is a daily operation and Brink’s staff are involved in all levels of security at the airport, from passenger checks to cabin and hold baggage checks.

Update
Brink’s has asked the Connexion to clarify that it was not responsible for security on the flight.
The security company said that the package was not under the firm’s responsibility when it disappeared, as its remit was to ensure safe delivery to the plane at Charles de Gaulle airport.
Brink’s said that its part of the operations were “limited to assuring the security of this delivery during its transit at Roissy [Charles de Gaulle airport], a job that Brink’s completed perfectly”.
Connexion is pleased to clarify this.

Previous article:
3 Britons held in €200m cocaine raid
Photo: Agnico-Eagle

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