In an exploit right out of Hollywood, the Cartier store in Cannes was victimized by the “Pink Panthers” gang.

A dastardly group of armed robers – in garish Hawaiian print shirts no less – descended upon the luxury jeweler along the Cote d’Azur this past Monday.    The leader held a gun on everyone and demanded they lie on the floor.   The accomplices raided the entire store of jewels, luxury goods and watches and then the team made their escape on motorcycles down the Boulevard de la Croisette.  This Cartier store is just a few yards from Hotel Carlton Cannes and overlooks the water so it’s not like this was a low profile venue.

This gang earned their nickname back in 1993 when they stole a massive diamond from a jeweler in the Mayfair area of London and hid it in a jar of face cream (a method used in the original Peter Sellers film).  The gang is suspected of being eastern European and former soldiers and they are notorious for daring feats one would expect to see in a film.

In 2005, they raided a jeweler in St. Tropez and made their escape by boat.

To further complicate things for law enforcement, the gang is suspected of being a laissez faire network of perhaps 200 people which has hindered the investigations.