A pair of lucky armed robbers were able to make off with a massive $2.5 million in gold coins after a Mexico City mint left its vault door wide open, allowing the thieves to easily grab the valuables.
Two people entered the government coin manufacturer Casa de Moneda on Tuesday, with one wielding a firearm. They threw the security guard to the ground and stole his weapon before one of the thieves went to the vault and, after seeing it was open, began to fill his bag with coins. The fortunate pair sped off on motorcycles with their haul before the police arrived.
Police said the robbers made off with 1,567 gold coins, known as ‘centenarios’. The coins have a face value of 50 pesos ($2.56), but trade for 31,500 ($1,610) each, making their total value at least $2.5 million.
Mexico City’s Secretary of Citizen Security said that because the thieves headed straight for the vault, some of the employees may be complicit in the robbery, Univision reports.
The easy steal is just the latest in a string of high profile crimes to hit the city recently, with a rise in homicides, kidnappings and gunfights seen in the last year. An increase in the gun rental trade has made it difficult for authorities to trace criminals.
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