The robbery at the Louvre Museum earlier this month was committed by local offenders rather than members of organized crime networks, the Paris prosecutor said, as the investigation into the theft of jewels worth 88 million euros ($94 million) continues.
Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau told Franceinfo radio on Sunday that the suspects currently charged were "local people” from Seine-Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris.
"This is not quite everyday delinquency, but it is a type of delinquency that we do not generally associate with the upper echelons of organized crime," she said.
The comments come two weeks after a group of thieves parked a stolen truck outside the Louvre, used a furniture lift to reach the first floor and broke into one of the museum’s most ornate rooms.
Within minutes, they fled on scooters with royal jewels, including an emerald and diamond necklace once given by Napoleon I to his wife Marie Louise and a diadem belonging to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III.
Beccuau confirmed that at least one individual remains at large. Four people have been charged so far, including a 37-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman whose DNA was reportedly found on the lift used in the heist.
The man has been charged with organized theft and criminal conspiracy, while the woman faces charges of complicity in organized theft.
The prosecutor described them as a couple with children who "denied any involvement.”
The woman appeared in court on Saturday in Paris and expressed concern for her family’s safety.
Two other men, aged 34 and 39, were arrested earlier and charged with theft and criminal conspiracy. Both had previous convictions for theft, and the prosecutor said they had "partially admitted” their involvement.
Three additional people detained with the couple on Oct. 29 were later released without charge.
Beccuau said investigators were still working to locate the missing jewels. "We are examining all the possibilities on the parallel market for selling this jewelry,” she said.
"It could be used for money laundering or trade; all leads are being explored.”
