Gold bars worth $4.8 million were stolen by armed robbers Sunday from an armored truck that broke down on its route between Florida and Massachusetts.
The armored truck, owned by Transvalue Inc. out of Miami, had two security guards on board when they began to have
mechanical problems on I-95 in North Carolina, The Associated Press said.
A statement from the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office said three armed men approached, ordered the guards to the ground where their hands were tied, and then took the two men into the woods. They unloaded the gold, which weighed about 275 pounds, and took off in a white van.
A Transvalue statement said the gold bars were intended to be delivered to Attleboro, Massachusetts, near Boston. No Transvalue employees were hurt in the heist.
On its website, Transvalue said it operates 14 armored trucks in South Florida and that loads are insured for up to $100 million. The company is offering a $50,000 reward for information on the stolen gold.
WNCN called the robbery one of the most “brazen” in North Carolina history. The station also reported that the truck was transporting silver, as well as gold, and that some of the silver was stolen too.
“Gold robberies of this magnitude are rare,” WNCN said. “The largest gold robbery in Florida, for example, was the $2.8 million stolen in 2012. In 1997, the Dunbar Armored truck depot was robbed of $18.9 million. Two men were later convicted.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation may get involved, authorities are currently trying to determine if a federal crime occurred.
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