Confessions in the process of stealing the Cofre Verde

Confessions in the process of stealing the Cofre Verde

01/17/2023 2:36 pm (act. 01/17/2023 2:40 pm)

Dresden's Treasure, the Green Vault

Dresden Green Treasure © APA / dpa central image

The theft of jewels from the historic Green Vault Dresden was planned, prepared and executed by members of the Berlin Remmo clan. Three of the six suspects in the district court trial for the theft in November 2019 confessed on Tuesday as part of an alleged deal, gave details of the spectacular coup and showed remorse.

“I wasn’t just in Dresden, I was in the Green Vault too,” said a 29-year-old. A 26-year-old and a 23-year-old said they only confessed to “goo”. The 29-year-old’s order was to climb through the previously prepared window with a non-arguido, break the window of the jewelry room and steal pieces of jewelry “because I’m strong and I’m ready to do it”, said the oldest suspect. According to his own statements, he was not involved in the original planning of the crime. He had been approached two to three months earlier if he wanted to participate. “It wasn’t my idea.”

According to him and the 23-year-old, it came from “someone else’s” enthusiasm for a trip to the Green Vault and the Green Diamond on display there. The plan was developed over a year. “It’s me with the flashlight, the other one told me where to go,” said the 29-year-old. He was also involved in two reconnaissance trips to Dresden in preparation. “I was surprised that you could move around so freely and unnoticed and that no one noticed.”

The theft was a “true adventure” for him, the 23-year-old said. He wanted to prove himself to others and be the center of attention. “I didn’t think about the consequences.” He only realized the importance of the jewelry during the process. “I did everything I could to make sure the gems I had control over returned.”

A 26-year-old young man confessed to setting fire to the old city’s power distribution. He claims to have participated to finance drug use and also said he was “tricked” on the day of the crime. He now greatly regrets the act and is happy that at least part of the loot was returned, he explained.

Just before Christmas, most of the jewelry was returned through a lawyer for the 29-year-old. Four of the six defendants agreed to a deal reached a week ago on a lighter sentence, a fifth did not. The prerequisite for this is “credible confessions”, including questioning. One of the six accused denies involvement with reference to an alibi.

The Germans, brothers and cousins, have had to answer for serious gang robbery, arson and particularly serious arson since late January 2022. Two of them are serving youth sentences for stealing the 100-kilogram gold coin from the Bode Museum of Berlin in 2017. The break-in of the famous Saxon Treasury Museum on November 25, 2019 was one of the most spectacular art thefts in Germany.