While many legendary heists end with the robbers behind bars, a few criminal masterminds have pulled off the “perfect crime.” These heists succeeded either because the thieves completely vanished with the loot, or because they executed their plans with such flawless precision that the vast majority of the stolen wealth was never recovered.

Here are the details of 10 of the most successful heists in modern history.

1. The Antwerp Diamond Heist (2003)

The Target: The Antwerp World Diamond Centre in Belgium, which housed a vault containing the majority of the world’s uncut diamonds.

The Execution: A five-man team led by Leonardo Notarbartolo spent over two years planning the operation. They rented an office in the building, copied keys, and created realistic replicas of the vault’s security mechanisms. To bypass the infrared heat sensors, light detectors, and magnetic seals, they used everyday items like hairspray (to coat heat sensors) and custom-made shields.

The Outcome: The thieves cleared out 123 of the 160 safe deposit boxes, stealing an estimated $100 million in diamonds, gold, and jewelry. While Notarbartolo was eventually caught due to DNA found on a discarded sandwich near the getaway route, the stolen diamonds were never found.

2. The Banco Central Heist (2005)

The Target: The Banco Central vault in Fortaleza, Brazil.

The Execution: A gang of thieves rented a commercial property two blocks away from the bank and posed as a landscaping company selling synthetic turf. This brilliant cover allowed them to haul away tons of dirt without raising suspicion. Over three months, they dug a 256-foot tunnel that was reinforced with wood, lined with plastic, and equipped with lighting and air conditioning systems.

The Outcome: They tunneled directly up through the reinforced concrete floor of the bank vault over a weekend, bypassing all motion sensors. They stole roughly $71 million in unnumbered, used banknotes. While police eventually made dozens of arrests, only a tiny fraction of the money was ever recovered.

3. The Central Bank of Iraq Heist (2003)

The Target: The Central Bank of Iraq in Baghdad.

The Execution: This wasn’t a standard break-in; it was an abuse of absolute power. Just hours before the United States military began bombing Baghdad, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein sent his son, Qusay, to the bank with a handwritten note authorizing the withdrawal of emergency funds.

The Outcome: Bank officials had no choice but to comply. It took a fleet of tractor-trailers several hours to load up boxes containing $920 million in US $100 bills and roughly $100 million in Euros. While US soldiers later found about $650 million hidden in the walls of one of Saddam’s palaces, over $350 million vanished into thin air and remains entirely unaccounted for.

4. The United Center Depot Heist (1997)

The Target: The Dunbar Armored car depot in Los Angeles, California.

The Execution: Allen Pace was a regional safety inspector for Dunbar, which gave him insider knowledge of the depot’s security blind spots, camera angles, and guard schedules. He recruited five childhood friends and struck during a shift change. Using his keys, they ambushed the guards, bound them with zip-ties, and loaded a U-Haul truck.

The Outcome: They escaped with $18.9 million in cash. They were so meticulous that they avoided spending the money for years to escape detection. Pace was eventually caught in 2001 when one of his associates paid a companion with a stack of cash still bound in original Dunbar rubber bands. However, over half of the stolen money was never recovered.

5. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist (1990)

The Target: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Execution: In the early morning hours after St. Patrick’s Day, two men dressed as Boston police officers pressed the museum’s buzzer, claiming they were responding to a disturbance call. The young guards violated protocol and let them in. The “officers” promptly handcuffed the guards and tied them up in the basement.

The Outcome: The thieves spent 81 minutes casually cutting 13 invaluable masterworks out of their frames, including paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Degas. The total value of the stolen art is estimated at $500 million. Despite a standing $10 million reward and an active FBI investigation, not a single frame has been recovered, and the museum still displays the empty frames today.

6. The Brink’s-MAT Heist (1983)

The Target: A warehouse near London’s Heathrow Airport containing cash and gold bullion.

The Execution: Six robbers entered the warehouse with the help of an insider guard. They poured gasoline over the staff, threatening to set them on fire if they didn’t reveal the vault combination. They expected to find £3 million in cash, but stumbled upon something far greater: an enormous shipment of gold moving through transit.

The Outcome: They escaped with three tons of pure gold bullion and diamonds worth roughly $36 million (£26 million at the time). The gold was melted down, mixed with copper to disguise its purity, and laundered through legitimate gold channels. The sudden influx of cash completely transformed the British criminal underworld, and the majority of the gold remains unrecovered.

7. The Lufthansa Heist (1978)

The Target: The Lufthansa cargo terminal at JFK International Airport, New York.

The Execution: Masterminded by Jimmy Burke (a Lucchese crime family associate) and immortalized in the film Goodfellas, this heist relied on an inside employee who had gambling debts. The gang entered the terminal, gathered the midnight shift employees at gunpoint, and forced the container manager to open the high-security vault.

The Outcome: In less than an hour, they loaded a black Ford Econoline van with $5 million in cash and $875,000 in jewelry. To ensure no one talked, Burke systematically ordered the murder of almost every single person involved in the execution of the heist. The money was never found.

8. The Northern Bank Heist (2004)

The Target: The Northern Bank headquarters in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The Execution: A highly organized gang launched a coordinated double-kidnapping. On Sunday night, men dressed as police officers entered the homes of two high-ranking bank officials and held their families hostage. The officials were told that their families would be executed if they didn’t show up to work the next day and facilitate a massive cash withdrawal.

The Outcome: The terrified officials opened the vaults after closing hours, and the gang loaded crates of cash into a white transit van. They stole $50 million (£26.5 million), mostly in local Northern Bank banknotes. Because the bank immediately recalled all its notes and changed their color to make the stolen cash useless, the thieves laundered the funds globally, and most of it was never retrieved.

9. The Securitas Depot Heist (2006)

The Target: The Securitas cash management depot in Kent, England.

The Execution: Similar to the Northern Bank job, this heist involved heavy psychological leverage. The gang abducted the depot manager while he was driving home, while a separate team dressed as police officers kidnapped his wife and young son from their house. The manager was brought to the depot at gunpoint and forced to bypass the high-tech security gates for the gang.

The Outcome: The heavily armed robbers tied up 14 staff members and loaded a commercial truck with $92 million (£53 million) in cash. While several members were eventually arrested after an extensive investigation, over $60 million of the stolen cash completely evaporated into overseas accounts.

10. The Harry Winston Heist (2008)

The Target: The exclusive Harry Winston jewelry boutique in Paris, France.

The Execution: A group of four men, nicknamed “The Pink Panthers” by the media, arrived at the boutique just before closing time. Three of them wore high-end women’s clothing, complete with blonde wigs and heavy makeup. Once inside, they pulled out handguns and a hand grenade, herded the staff into a corner, and cleared the inventory.

The Outcome: They knew the employees by name and located hidden storage boxes that regular customers didn’t know existed. In less than 20 minutes, they slipped away with $108 million worth of diamonds, rings, and watches. The diamonds were quickly broken down and recut for international black markets, making them impossible to trace.