- A gang of criminals spent three months digging a 256-foot tunnel to break into Brazil’s central bank.
- The robbers established a fake landscaping business as a cover for their elaborate tunnelling operation.
- Even after two decades, the heist mastermind and most of its $110 million AUD million remain untraceable to this day.
Some heists are sloppy smash-and-grabs, while others are so brilliantly planned and executed that they blur the line between crime and art. The world has definitely witnessed legendary heists like the Great Train Robbery and the Belgian Airport Diamond theft. But the 2005 Banco Central burglary in Fortaleza, Brazil, ended up becoming more a criminal symphony than a simple crime.
This was the largest bank raid in the country and involved meticulous planning with an audacity level that was off the charts. Nearly $70 million USD (~$110 million AUD) vanished that weekend, and two decades later, most of it — and the mastermind — remains a ghost story that continues to baffle authorities till the present day.
The Perfect Cover Story
The operation began with a meticulous attention to detail that left you admiring the nerve of the thieves. They rented a small house just a block from the bank and opened “Grama Sintetica” (Astro Turf), a fake gardening company.
The house even got a fresh green paint job and neighbors received charming flyers offering lawn services. A white van with a company logo was also regularly parked out front. Passers-by saw a landscaping crew, and no one suspected an underground operation brewing beneath their feet.
Tunnel Vision on Another Level
However, behind the house’s back door, it was less about roses and more about risk. In a bedroom that also served as a construction site, the gang got to work on digging a 256-foot tunnel toward the Banco Central vault. When you picture digging an underground hole, you picture dirt and sweat but these weren’t your average criminals so their tunnel had a touch of comfort as well.
The tunnel had wooden beams for support, electric bulbs, and even an air conditioning system because, apparently, even criminals don’t like to sweat more than necessary while pulling off a high-stakes heist. The passageway was three metres underground and twisted beneath the regional stock exchange and every inch of it was planned out to the tiniest detail.
Gone Without a Trace
Then came the weekend of August 6-7, 2005 and it was showtime. The crew broke through the vault floor and cut through two metres of concrete. Their patience paid off, and inside, they found cash stacked in neat bundles — 3.5 tonnes of it, worth nearly $70 million USD. In absolutely no rush and with no ounce of panic, the gang stocked up their van and left behind only juice cartons and empty energy drink cans as evidence of their presence.
The theft wasn’t discovered until Monday morning. The bank employees clocked in only to find a large hole in the vault floor and mass panic ensued. Authorities hurried, but the thieves were obviously long gone. An investigation took place, leading to over 150 arrests and the recovery of $9 million USD. But the main players and the man behind the operation, Paulo Sergio, along with the bulk of the stolen money vanished like a magician’s final act.
And today, twenty years later, the question remains: is Paulo Sergio sipping cocktails on a private island, or did the money vanish into a criminal underworld black hole, never to be seen again?
