Temis HBJO Armored Truck Diamond Heist Suspects Questioned April 2016

Summary: Fifteen-month investigations led to questioning 11 suspects April 2016 about the 2015 €9.2 million ($9.7 million) Temis HBJO armored truck diamond heist.

French police found two burned getaway vans connected with the March 2015 Avallon tollbooth diamond heisters in the countryside near Quenne, Yonne department, Bourgogne-Franch-Comté, north central France: WorldNews_net @worldnews_net via Twitter March 11, 2015

Eleven of the suspected 15 Temis HBJO armored truck diamond heist perpetrators are being questioned, in Paris since April 9, 2016, about the Avallon tollbooth ambush in central-southeast France March 10-11, 2015.

The violent events of spring 2015 in the Yonne department of the Burgundy wine-growing region bring any of at least three criminal charges against apprehended perpetrators. The three criminal charges thus far consider association with "malfaiteurs" ("wrongdoers"), theft by an armed, organized group and violation of legislation concerning having and using firearms. Le Figaro online June 17, 2016, described one suspect as under "contrôle judiciaire" ("legal supervision") and the 10 others as under "détention provisoire" ("detention pending trial").

No information emerges from online news sources as to the whereabouts of four at-large perpetrators or of the extracted valuables estimated at €9.2 million ($9.7 million).

Paris Match online June 11, 2016, focused upon two of the 11 Temis HBJO armored truck diamond heist suspects called in for questioning April 9, 2016.

Temis HBJO gives secure transport to "Horlogerie, Bijouterie, Joaillerie, Orfèvrerie" ("Timepieces, Jewels, Gems, Tableware") and "objets d'art" ("art objects") from headquarters at 13 Place Vendôme, Paris. Unidentified sources for online news hinged harvesting an optimal heist upon 15 heisters having had inside help in honing optimum holdup dates, loads, locations and times. Online news indicated as more than coincidental the heisters identifying exactly where on the A6 armored trucks from Besançon and from Paris intersected for driver exchanges.

The two employees charged with criminal associations joined four suspects additionally charged with breaking firearm-regulating legislation and three additionally charged with robbery by an armed group.

The Jurisdiction Interrégionale Spécialisée ("Specialized Interregional Jurisdiction") and the Office de lutte contre le crime organisé ("Office for Fighting Organized Crime") kept charge of Paris-based investigations.

Le Parisien June 19, 2016, listed the 11 suspects living in the central-north departments of Aisne, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val d'Oise and the southern department of Bouches-du-Rhône. It mentioned that "Alex" made anabolic steroids and €350,000 ($396,130) available to Renald B., 40-year-old body-builder and Temis HBJO employee, for route, shipment and timing information. It noted only three of the 11 suspects netting armed robbery by an organized group charges: 47-year-old Jean-Charles P.; 49-year-old Belaïd S.; and 49-year-old Jean-Claude B.

The Parisien article observed that dress rehearsals occurred "quelques semaines" ("a few weeks") before the Avallon tollbooth ambush and the Temis HBJO armored truck diamond heist.

The Parisien article presented the perpetrators as pre-empting possible guardrail and service barrier problems by posing as broken-down vehicle passengers along planned escape routes from A6.

The breakdown qualified the perpetrators for assistance from, and security badge access for operating the service barrier near Saint-Cyr-les Colons of, an Autoroutes Paris-Rhin-Rhône ("Paris-Rhine-Rhone Motorways"). Dress rehearsals resulted in an armed robbery of Cartier jewelry, "chutes d'or" ("gold chains") and 1,000 Hublot and Rolex luxury watches within minutes despite four drivers. The speedy, successful Avallon tollbooth ambush just before, and Temis HBJO armored truck diamond heist just after, midnight suggested expert thievery, inside information and staged practice.

Who took the Temis HBJO armored truck diamond heist gold, jewelry and watches from 15 suspected perpetrators, of whom 15-month investigations turned up 11 for questioning?

French police found the armored trucks which were ambushed March 2015 by Avallon tollbooth diamond heisters; heisters used a mechanical digger to cut open the roof for access to jewelled cargo: WTOP @WTOP via Twitter March 11, 2015

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

French police found two burned vans connected with the March 2015 Avallon tollbooth diamond heist in the countryside near Quenne, Yonne department, Bourgogne-Franch-Comté, north central France: WorldNews_net @worldnews_net via Twitter March 11, 2015, @ https://twitter.com/worldnews_net/status/575681394736820224

French police found two burned vans connected with the March 2015 Avallon tollbooth diamond heist in the countryside near Quenne, Yonne department, Bourgogne-Franch-Comté, north central France: WorldNews_net @worldnews_net via Twitter March 11, 2015, @ https://twitter.com/worldnews_net/status/575681394736820224

For further information:

"Braquage à 9 millions d'euros sur l'A6: 11 suspects interpellés." Paris Match > Actu > Faits divers > 11/06/2016.
Available @ http://www.parismatch.com/Actu/Faits-divers/Braquage-a-9-millions-d-euros-sur-l-A6-11-suspects-interpelles-993451

"Braquage à 9 millions d'euros sur l'A6 en 2015: 11 suspects interpellés." Le Parisien > Faits divers > 11 juin 2016.
Available @ http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/braquage-a-9-millions-d-euros-sur-l-a6-en-2015-11-suspects-interpelles-11-06-2016-5874903.php

"Braquage de deux fourgons sur l'A6 en 2015: onze suspects interpellés dont deux écroués." Le Monde > Société > Police et Justice > 11/06/2016.
Available @ http://www.lemonde.fr/police-justice/article/2016/06/11/braquage-de-deux-fourgons-sur-l-a6-en-2015-onze-suspects-interpelles-dont-deux-ecroues_4948505_1653578.html

"Braquage sur l'A6: 11 suspects mis en examen." Le Figaro > Flash-Actu > 17/06/2016.
Available @ http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2016/06/17/97001-20160617FILWWW00153-braquage-sur-l-a6-en-2015-11-suspects-mis-en-examen.php

Brinai, Élisa; Blanzat, Bruno. 12 June 2016. "Arrestations un an après le braquage de fourgons blindés sur l'A6 à Avallon." France Bleu > Infos > Faits divers > Justice.
Available @ https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/faits-divers-justice/arrestations-un-apres-le-braquage-de-fourgons-blindes-sur-l-a6-avallon-1465723772

"Fourgons blindés braqués sur l'A6: onze suspects mis en examen." Le Parisien > Faits divers > 17 juin 2016.
Available @ http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/fourgons-blindes-braques-sur-l-a6-onze-suspects-mis-en-examen-17-06-2016-5893831.php

Marriner, Derdriu. 16 March 2018. "Avallon Tollbooth Ambush and Temis HBJO Armored Truck Diamond Heist." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/03/avallon-tollbooth-ambush-and-temis-hbjo.html

Sellami, Stéphane. 19 June 2016. "Fourgons blindés braqués sur l'A6: les coulisses d'un casse." Le Parisien > Faits divers.
Available @ http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/les-coulisses-d-un-casse-19-06-2016-5896847.php

"Spectaculaire braquage de l'A6: un an aprés, onze suspects interpellés." Europe 1 > Faits divers > le 10 juin 2016 modifié le 13 juin 2016.
Available @ http://www.europe1.fr/faits-divers/spectaculaire-braquage-de-la6-un-an-apres-onze-suspects-interpelles-2769088