Paris jewel raids: Three jailed for robberies at De Beers and Cartier

A French court docket has given three jewel thieves prison sentences of up to 15 years for two robberies in Paris.
inside the first theft, in 2013, criminals made off quietly with tens of millions of euros worth of jewellery from a De Beers outlet.
however a robbery more than a year later from a Cartier shop went awry and resulted in a gunfight with police.
Prosecutors said similarities inside the raids led investigators to price two of the guys with the earlier crime.
At a Paris court on Friday, Dominique Vilaca, involved in both crimes, was jailed for 15 years, as turned into Ismaila Fofana, 26, who took part within the 2014 heist. His cousin Youssouf Fofana, 25, turned into jailed for seven years for the De Beers robbery.
The courtroom heard how two robbers had targeted the De Beers outlet within the upmarket Printemps branch store in critical Paris in February 2013, getting away with jewelry worth about three.seventy eight million euros (£three.3m). No-one changed into harm.
but, in November 2014, police exchanged fireplace with  robbers as they fled the Cartier save with jewelry well worth more than eight million euros.
They took a staff member hostage and led police on a chase across the metropolis before surrendering.
The court docket heard that Dominique Vilaca fired seven shots as he attempted to keep away from seize.