Posted on 06/20/2025 5:32:09 PM PDT by CFW
Federal prosecutors and law enforcement believe they've solved the biggest jewelry heist in U.S. history.
In the middle of the night, on July 11, 2022, thieves broke into the trailer of a Brinks big rig parked at a truck stop on the stretch of I-5 freeway known as The Grapevine. The Grapevine is a 40-mile stretch of road that is the bane of every trucker's trip between the Central Valley, over the Tehachapi Mountains, and down again into the Los Angeles County basin. The worst part of it is the six-mile-long, 6% grade in which truckers travel a snail's pace, while travelers zip in and out of traffic. It's a nightmare. I've driven it countless times. It requires a full tank of fuel and coffee and an empty bladder.
But that night in 2022, it became an even bigger nightmare than usual for the drivers of the Brinks truck. The truck was loaded with bags of jewelry believed to be worth $100 million. The loot was being taken back to the 14 Pasadena jewelers whose goods were part of a big San Francisco area jewelry show.
The loot — 24 bags filled with diamonds, rubies, gold, emeralds, and rare watches — disappeared into the night along with the robbers.
And for three years, the case was unsolved, much to the consternation of jewelers, customers, residents, and truckers.
[snip]
The indictment, returned June 11, charges the following seven defendants with two counts of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment and theft from interstate and foreign shipment:
Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado, 31, of Pasadena; Jazael Padilla Resto, a.k.a. “Ricardo Noel Moya,” “Ricardo Barbosa,” and “Alberto Javier Loza Chamorro,” 36, of Boyle Heights and currently an inmate in Arizona state prison; Pablo Raul Lugo Larroig,
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(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
See? Diversity is our strength!
the witches on the view said immigrants commit LESS crime than americans!
Well, they surely did good job.
The story is almost impossible to read with all the ads and interruptions. This was inevitable as all sites need to make money and short of subscriptions, this “seems” to be the only way. we shall see.
Yogi, it’s those Hispanics again.
Doing the heists that Americans won’t do.
Five bean salad.
I have a couple friends who lost a ton of money on this heist
Does gold count as jewelry? If so, the FBI heist of the Confederate Civil War gold was likely larger.
Remind me to never travel with Victoria.
I don’t know anything about these guys, but I suspect there is an unnamed “Mr. Big” that directed these guys.
Maybe too much movie watching on my part.
How many are illegal? And how stupid is Brinks to leave this cargo unattended for even a moment?
I’d say all and very.
$100 million overland with no support fore and aft. I’ll bet Brinks was sued left and right.
Mr Blond.
Mr. Pink
Mr. Orange
L
I was thinking of the “Pink Panther” or maybe “The Italian Job”. “Ocean’s 12” maybe.
Doing the jobs Americans won’t do, I guess.
Joseph R Biden.
Definitely a big boss somewhere.
“Federal prosecutors say the gang of thieves was quite busy. They are alleged to have pulled off a quarter of a million dollar heist of Samsung electronic equipment in Ontario, Calif. They are accused of holding up another truck driver, taking off with “$57,377 worth of Apple AirTags,” and allegedly were responsible for another theft at a Fontana truck stop. “
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