0:00:02 > 0:00:10This programme contains some strong language some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting
0:00:52 > 0:00:55CAR REVS
0:00:55 > 0:00:58TYRES SCREECH
0:01:08 > 0:01:11TYRES SCREECH
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Now, they're known as the Pink Panthers.
0:01:22 > 0:01:23They're a gang that steals jewels
0:01:23 > 0:01:25from high-end stores all over the world.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27And one of their alleged members...
0:01:30 > 0:01:35Armed with this Magnum revolver and helped by an accomplice, he pounced.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41We are talking about an international criminal group
0:01:41 > 0:01:43made up of more than 200 people.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45They are organised in independent cells
0:01:45 > 0:01:47and they live in different countries.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51These are all people from the former Yugoslavia.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54The core of the group comes from Montenegro.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57There is another substantial group from Serbia.
0:01:57 > 0:01:58CAR HORN BEEPS
0:01:58 > 0:02:03One of the Panthers said that every robbery that is lasting
0:02:03 > 0:02:06more than 22 seconds is a great risk.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09CAR HORN BEEPS AGAIN
0:02:09 > 0:02:12There's no alarm, no security system, they can be good,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15that cannot be broken.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Two hours, you're in another country and you are safe.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24That's what I like, you know.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42I have a lot to tell you about these robberies and there were many.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45But the best job I've did was in Spain.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02We waited for a festival that was about to take place
0:03:02 > 0:03:04and we waited a long time.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25It was some kind of a religious thing, fiesta -
0:03:25 > 0:03:27music, dancing.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Some kind of noise that they couldn't hear us banging through the walls.
0:03:42 > 0:03:43And now the action could begin.
0:04:46 > 0:04:53PHONE DIALS
0:04:53 > 0:04:55PHONE RINGS
0:05:01 > 0:05:06My name is Novak, you know, and people call us Pink Panthers.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08HE LAUGHS
0:05:08 > 0:05:13And English people, they call us, because of the film.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18I read somewhere that one inspector, I don't know where,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21he said that we are terrorists or something like that.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Modern terrorists, but it's not true.
0:05:23 > 0:05:29I mean, we are just taking something unimportant for rich people,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32for us - who doesn't have that, you know?
0:05:32 > 0:05:34HE LAUGHS
0:05:38 > 0:05:42We started with some houses, you know,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45some cars and something like that.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49But jewelleries, we find out, is much easier.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53Jewellery's small, it's expensive, it gets you more money.
0:05:57 > 0:06:03We can be in China, we can be in Singapore, Tokyo, Dubai.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09Wherever they have rich stuff, we can be there.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13ALARM BLARES
0:06:21 > 0:06:23SEAGULLS SQUAWK
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Here, we are really in the middle of the old town of Geneva.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43And there you have all the...all the biggest jewelleries
0:06:43 > 0:06:48with million and million of stuff in the windows.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58There you have Chatila...
0:06:59 > 0:07:03This jewellery was attacked by the Pinks in 2009.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08That mean they enter by this door and after that,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10there were, in this road, two scooter...
0:07:10 > 0:07:13You say scooter in English?
0:07:13 > 0:07:16..were waiting and when they finished the robberies,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18they jump on the scooter and they leave the place.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24Gubelin was attacked one or two times by the Pinks.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Graff - Graff Geneva...
0:07:28 > 0:07:31..De Grisogono, Chopard, Adler...
0:07:37 > 0:07:40About the statistics or numbers,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43approximately we have 500 cases
0:07:43 > 0:07:46of robberies and burglaries
0:07:46 > 0:07:48made by the Pinks.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Speaking about the value of all the robberies,
0:07:54 > 0:08:00approximatively 300 millions of US dollars.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07If you take all their crimes together,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10they are the best jewellery thieves in the world.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21I know, but like you say, it's a Pink Panther!
0:08:21 > 0:08:25And there are colleagues who give me that one or two years ago.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29They were involved in a case we began here and they work on.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32And they find this big Pink Panther
0:08:32 > 0:08:34and they bring it here.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37And it's a joke between all the teams in Europe
0:08:37 > 0:08:39- working on the Pink Panthers. - PHONE RINGS IN BACKGROUND
0:08:39 > 0:08:45- PRODUCER:- Can you tell me, when did you first hear of the Pink Panthers?
0:08:45 > 0:08:49It was in 2000. At the beginning, it was different.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52For me, it was different as the other teams
0:08:52 > 0:08:57about the organisation - it was more organised.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01The action was very, very fast, when they come.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16SPEECH NOT AUDIBLE
0:09:29 > 0:09:33'They have made a lot of robberies, so that mean when they come,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36'they are confident, they are sure about "what I have to do".
0:09:47 > 0:09:49'The preparation is very, very good.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53'That means they come sometimes some months before
0:09:53 > 0:09:57'to try to find which jewellery they are going to attack.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01'And after that, to know exactly how they are going to work,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04'how many people they need to be in there,
0:10:04 > 0:10:06'how they are going to escape.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08'And after that, they do the robbery.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16'Sometimes, working on bad guys,'
0:10:16 > 0:10:20there is something very particular, very special, between...
0:10:20 > 0:10:23there is a respect but, at the same time, it is like a game.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26They know that we are hunting them.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Because it's a little bit like that
0:10:29 > 0:10:32from Pacino and De Niro in the film.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34It was like that, but they are always movies.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38They are not the reality. That's...
0:10:38 > 0:10:43We just must remember that they are bad guys
0:10:43 > 0:10:46going inside jewellery with guns.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04'We understood in this time that they were able to do things, incredible,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06'that nobody had done before.'
0:11:15 > 0:11:18The first time, we didn't know that they were Pink Panthers.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21You know, this name did not exist, at this time.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23The first time, we just think it was
0:11:23 > 0:11:25one robbery or two robberies, that's all.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29We did not identify, the first time, the importance of the group.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39It was a challenge
0:11:39 > 0:11:42cos they are crossing the borders very fast,
0:11:42 > 0:11:43after the robbery - very easily.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46We started to understand that it was a group.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51The only thing we know - that they were coming from former Yugoslavia.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54So that's all we had, the first time. And so we started to identify
0:11:54 > 0:11:58the different city they were coming from in former Yugoslavia -
0:11:58 > 0:12:00especially Montenegro, from Cetinje.
0:12:02 > 0:12:03Yugoslavia.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05Yugoslavia.
0:12:05 > 0:12:06Yugoslavia.
0:12:06 > 0:12:07Yugoslavia.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Few Americans know little, if anything, about Yugoslavia.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17One reason is because not many people know where to find it.
0:12:17 > 0:12:22Actually, it's really quite simple - just go to Italy and make a right.
0:12:22 > 0:12:23Yugoslavia.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27A popular misconception about Yugoslavia is that
0:12:27 > 0:12:30it is a neighbouring country of the Soviet Union. In actuality,
0:12:30 > 0:12:32it borders seven European countries,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34none of them being Russia.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37A bigger misconception than the location, though,
0:12:37 > 0:12:38is the country itself.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40When most Americans think of Yugoslavia,
0:12:40 > 0:12:42this is not what comes to mind...
0:12:44 > 0:12:45..or this...
0:12:47 > 0:12:48..or this...
0:12:53 > 0:12:54..or even this.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13DOG BARKS IN THE DISTANCE
0:13:29 > 0:13:34'The first time I heard about Panthers were in 2004.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36'It was a surprise.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39'And my first thought when newspapers published'
0:13:39 > 0:13:44that the perpetrators were three Serbs,
0:13:44 > 0:13:48I said, "Fuck! This is all we needed."
0:13:58 > 0:14:02My second thought, however, was, "Hmm, interesting.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04"How very skilful people."
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Because I didn't know how they did it.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Well, before 2000, we don't have Pink Panthers.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23Some people started with so big and exclusive heists...
0:14:26 > 0:14:29..mostly in Europe, only Europe.
0:14:32 > 0:14:37And after it, we have some of the Panthers robbed out of Europe.
0:14:39 > 0:14:40They went to Bahrain.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44They went to Japan. They went to Dubai.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51I'm working right now for BIRN,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54Balkan Investigative Reporting Network.
0:14:54 > 0:15:00And, at the moment, I am looking for Pink Panthers, like I'm mad.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12I'm working for more than two years on this.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17At first, I didn't believe it was possible to find any of them.
0:15:17 > 0:15:22Why would any say, "Look, I'm Pink Panther, I'm going to help you"?
0:15:22 > 0:15:26So that required a lot of work, a lot of travelling,
0:15:26 > 0:15:27a lot of phone calls...
0:15:29 > 0:15:33..finding sources on the places you would never believe you can find them.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50That usually meant being on the road all the time,
0:15:50 > 0:15:52travelling to the region all the time,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56meeting all kinds of people all the time.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15I must talk to dozens of different people,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17all kinds of people,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20meet them, be ready to meet them at any time.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36You must make them trust you -
0:16:36 > 0:16:38that you are not going to talk to the police,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41that you are not going to put any of them in danger.
0:16:44 > 0:16:45If you know, when you do something
0:16:45 > 0:16:50so extraordinary which attracts the attention of the whole world
0:16:50 > 0:16:56and many people say, "Bravo, you robbed the bigger criminals."
0:16:56 > 0:17:02Well, that can light some fire inside. I believe so.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18OK, so if we start with...
0:17:18 > 0:17:22Could he just introduce himself?
0:17:26 > 0:17:30OK, Mike, so we've agreed that we will record this interview,
0:17:30 > 0:17:31but not show your face.
0:17:37 > 0:17:43So, we'll use your real words but we'll animate you and your voice.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46No face. Not my real voice.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49So, tell me, who are the Pink Panthers?
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Well, I don't have a badge that says Pink Panther on it.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56We are a network of teams working together
0:17:56 > 0:18:00and as I was involved, I became part of the network.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Everybody has their specific job to do, understand?
0:18:04 > 0:18:05So we all depend on each other.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Those in the inner circle are called family.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14But you have guys who don't know who their bosses or associates are.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22You have to be in with them for a long time dealing with these
0:18:22 > 0:18:24kind of bigger jobs.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26You get tips from your own supervisor,
0:18:26 > 0:18:29but there is also a wider chain of command.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31You never know where you stand in the hierarchy,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33because you never meet the boss.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37You don't know this guy is the big boss. There's no such thing.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39No big boss.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42You need a brain, knowledge.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45And experience to do this work.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49This means the jobs that we do and the other gangs that do sex, drugs,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52murder, they rarely cross over.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55So, tell me, what is it about the diamond?
0:18:57 > 0:19:00I don't know why people spend money on diamonds.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02I don't suffer from this showing off.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05I have a Rolex, but as a souvenir.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08But diamonds, nah, they don't attract me.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10For me, diamonds mean good cash.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Nothing else.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25Not anyone can do this job. You must be born to do it.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32You must firstly trust in yourself...
0:19:34 > 0:19:36..because if you are weak, you can't do it.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47Women in the Panthers have to be...exceptional.
0:19:48 > 0:19:49Exceptional.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59I was extremely good looking.
0:20:00 > 0:20:0130kgs less.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05I had long red hair at the time.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09Although I had frequent transformations, very frequent.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15I would be sometimes blonde, sometimes brunette.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24You can only have one in each gang.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27And we have high requirements for the women.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29They have the leading roles.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34They have to do the main job, so they do the scouting,
0:20:34 > 0:20:38they enter, they record and they bring the plan.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43That means the woman has to be intelligent,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46she has to be beautiful and she has to love money.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51The guys do a great majority of jobs.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54But they also need a woman on their team.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Everyone always thinks it's the men, men, men.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00But without woman nothing would be done.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Lela has to be dressed in most expensive clothes, you know?
0:21:08 > 0:21:10Most elegant clothes, wearing expensive jewellery.
0:21:12 > 0:21:17Also to have her own chauffeur. She had to act exactly like Madonna.
0:21:27 > 0:21:33I had to look very powerful. It was stuff by Burberry, then Chanel.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Whatever was in and whatever was popular.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40I wouldn't even know some of the brands that existed.
0:21:40 > 0:21:46But the stuff purchased, it was well known that it was very expensive.
0:21:46 > 0:21:47THUNDER RUMBLES
0:21:51 > 0:21:52ALARM BLARES
0:22:00 > 0:22:02So, how did it all begin?
0:22:02 > 0:22:06In the beginning it was individuals. Small shops, casinos.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09We went where there was money, gold.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12And eventually, jobs got bigger and better.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17When I was in Italy, I worked with this guy from Kosovo.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Like his apprentice.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24He could open a safe in two minutes.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30We were together for four years
0:22:30 > 0:22:34and by the end, I could open a cat in no time.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38- What's the cat?- The cat, we call a cat, the safe.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Jewellery is like a magnet for crime.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47It's worth a lot and the crooks want it. Hello, I'm Mike for...
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Jewellery crime is big business,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54often run by organised criminals who won't hesitate to use violence
0:22:54 > 0:22:56in the city, suburbs or out in the country.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02Jewellery crime causes 1.1 billion in losses each year
0:23:02 > 0:23:05from all sources, including consumers.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06But in most stores,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09most of the jewellery does end up here at closing time,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12and even though it's not as common as you might think,
0:23:12 > 0:23:14the safe is still a target.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31I have a lot to tell you about these robberies,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35and there were many, but the best job I did was in Spain.
0:23:37 > 0:23:38Perfect plan.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48The jewellery shop was a perfect target.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50It was a beautiful boutique, you know.
0:23:50 > 0:23:51Very high class.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00There was, in this city, a most beautiful jewellery shop.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Everything with diamonds. Rings with diamonds, bracelets, necklaces.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06Very beautiful.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10Jewellery rarely achieves that kind of sparkle, very rarely,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14but we had no access, no access at all.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18So we had to do it in a different way.
0:24:18 > 0:24:19We tried many ways.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21We had different ideas about the job
0:24:21 > 0:24:24and then, finally, we had the idea - just to hire a shop next door.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34Next to the jewellery shop was the souvenir shop.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36In order to get to the jewellery shop,
0:24:36 > 0:24:38we needed to go through this second shop first.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54She met the Spanish shop owner and befriended him.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55She had to lure the guy into a trap.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01I didn't go to seduce him,
0:25:01 > 0:25:05but my very appearance contributed to his joy.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08He employed me at his place.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Not to work, because I couldn't speak the language well enough,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14but to oversee things.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19She had to do a good job because we needed to gain his trust.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Of course, her beauty helped.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24He thought they could get closer, that they would be
0:25:24 > 0:25:26together every day.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Well, I don't see why I should feel guilty.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30It is his problem that he fell in love with me
0:25:30 > 0:25:33and that my presence brought him lots of pleasure.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35I couldn't do anything about that.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42So when she was there, she examined the wall,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45which gave us an idea that we could knock it down
0:25:45 > 0:25:47and where we could exit...
0:25:48 > 0:25:49..which way we could run.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55She was there so she could scan
0:25:55 > 0:25:56and find that information,
0:25:56 > 0:25:59see if the plan would be possible.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06The reason why I spent a lot of time with the Spanish guy was so that
0:26:06 > 0:26:10I could observe exactly when the jewellery shop closed -
0:26:10 > 0:26:14when would it open, when they would go out for a coffee,
0:26:14 > 0:26:16for how long they would be out.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Generally, it was all about them.
0:26:20 > 0:26:27In fact, I'm the most important part of the job, and I'm aware of that.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30My one mistake would be their fall,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33so if I make an error somewhere, they are doomed.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Tell me about your life growing up in Yugoslavia.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04I'm from the border of Montenegro and Albania, actually.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09I'm 48. My father was born Muslim and a communist.
0:27:25 > 0:27:26Tito.
0:27:28 > 0:27:29He was our idol.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54APPLAUSE
0:27:59 > 0:28:03Tito and the Communist Party of Yugoslavia declared
0:28:03 > 0:28:06the Republic of Yugoslavia in 1945.
0:28:12 > 0:28:18People now remember of that period like the golden age.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28He was a very authoritarian ruler.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31He liked his position.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36But he also had a strong sense of what is necessary to do.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Yugoslavia...
0:28:44 > 0:28:50was made by many different nations, different religions,
0:28:50 > 0:28:56different ethnic groups - we had more than 20 ethnic groups here,
0:28:56 > 0:29:02and I believe it was very hard to put them all together,
0:29:02 > 0:29:05and keep that country alive.
0:29:05 > 0:29:06SINGING
0:29:13 > 0:29:16As kids, you know, I had in my class
0:29:16 > 0:29:20alongside Gypsy and other, Albanian, Croatian...
0:29:20 > 0:29:24Germans, Jews, Muslims.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28It was really amazing.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43I only got my first passport when I was 16 or 17,
0:29:43 > 0:29:45but I couldn't wait for the summer.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47In May, the first tourists would come.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58Germans, French, Italian and English would come too
0:29:58 > 0:30:01and they would go swim naked.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03I would sell them Coke and beer.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06Wherever there was an opportunity to peek, to watch naked women,
0:30:06 > 0:30:08I would sit down to watch.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18My first love was this German woman.
0:30:20 > 0:30:21I'm still thinking of her now.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26That's how I actually got to learn my German.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29See how it's all coming back.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45As a young girl, I lived in Dimitrovgrad.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48It was a small house where my grandmother lived.
0:30:48 > 0:30:49BELL TOLLS
0:30:53 > 0:30:58But my aunt came for me and my life continued in Hamburg, in Germany.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04GERMAN MUSIC PLAYS
0:31:11 > 0:31:14I had a wonderful time, wonderful.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17This is something that remains stamped in my memory.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20I was taken by the extravagance and luxury there was.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26I thought, "I will become something and somebody in my life."
0:31:30 > 0:31:33I couldn't go out that much, as my aunt was a very strict woman.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36She was working in Yugoslav restaurant and she got me
0:31:36 > 0:31:39a job to wash dishes and to work at the bar.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42I had a chance to meet all kinds of people,
0:31:42 > 0:31:43and that's how I met my boyfriend.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49I was still a child, 17 years old,
0:31:49 > 0:31:53and there was some kind of chemistry between us.
0:31:54 > 0:31:59And after that, he started giving me all kinds of gifts,
0:31:59 > 0:32:05perfumes, necklaces, bracelets, and so we got together.
0:32:06 > 0:32:07SHE SPEAKS GERMAN
0:32:11 > 0:32:14Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to inform you about a few
0:32:14 > 0:32:17things that will be of interest to you during the flight.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24I was in love and I was doing everything just to be with him.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36It was arranged that we all go to Spain,
0:32:36 > 0:32:39but this was where everything was clear to me -
0:32:39 > 0:32:42this was a criminal job that he was doing.
0:32:43 > 0:32:48When he confessed, I wasn't bothered with it at all.
0:32:48 > 0:32:53In fact, I asked him to introduce me to his job so I can be closer to him.
0:32:53 > 0:32:54THUNDER RUMBLES
0:32:59 > 0:33:02I was very anxious, nervous, I wanted to do it,
0:33:02 > 0:33:06but in that moment, I thought to myself, "How am I going to?"
0:33:06 > 0:33:10Somewhere in the back of my mind I was afraid, but I never showed it.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12I would go all or nothing.
0:33:12 > 0:33:17And I became the scout, I entered the shop, I recorded where everything is,
0:33:17 > 0:33:18I told them.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29Lela would then simply enter the boutique,
0:33:29 > 0:33:33and she would register everything, solely with her eyes...
0:33:35 > 0:33:40..where everything is, the distances, how far things are,
0:33:40 > 0:33:44what she thinks can be done, to what extent, who is there...
0:33:44 > 0:33:46how many of them, how many cameras.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49Every single detail, she has to cover.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57It is only a woman who can do this job properly.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59A man would stick out too much.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02She can ask for a necklace, she can ask for a ring.
0:34:20 > 0:34:25I had a very large hat. I looked like a real lady.
0:34:27 > 0:34:28And I had that ring.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31That ring was very expensive.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35And I told them that I lost weight and that I came for them
0:34:35 > 0:34:36to make it smaller.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44While they were doing this, I had plenty of time to assess
0:34:44 > 0:34:47and check out everything around me.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56I couldn't see the safe, we call the safe the kitten,
0:34:56 > 0:35:00I couldn't locate it, but everything else I had to assess.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11When I would go back home, there was
0:35:11 > 0:35:13a man who would sketch it all
0:35:13 > 0:35:14based on my story.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16He drew it all.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29The woman didn't take part in the action.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32She gave us the key, gave us information
0:35:32 > 0:35:34and her part of the job is finished.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37Most of the time, I felt strong,
0:35:37 > 0:35:42but I sometimes had a feeling that I was drowning,
0:35:42 > 0:35:45that everything is falling to pieces...
0:35:46 > 0:35:50..but when I would see my boyfriend next to me, it would lift me up.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07You have to lock yourself in a room.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10You would see other people from the balcony,
0:36:10 > 0:36:13a girlfriend or a boyfriend walking in the open,
0:36:13 > 0:36:15we were not allowed to do that.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20You would feel a kind of collapse somewhere in your soul.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44Sometimes nothing,
0:36:44 > 0:36:48neither money or gold or any kind of wealth would give me
0:36:48 > 0:36:53as much satisfaction as the mere thought that one day we would go away
0:36:53 > 0:36:55together and be alone,
0:36:55 > 0:36:58hope that we will live normal life,
0:36:58 > 0:36:59like everyone else.
0:37:11 > 0:37:12It took about four months
0:37:12 > 0:37:14to complete all this planning process...
0:37:16 > 0:37:19..and it cost a lot of money.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26After all that, I had to disappear
0:37:26 > 0:37:28because that was the arrangement between us.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35I would have beauticians coming to my house, hairdressers,
0:37:35 > 0:37:38not even he can recognise me sometimes,
0:37:38 > 0:37:39but he would tell me
0:37:39 > 0:37:41that I have to do frequent makeovers
0:37:41 > 0:37:44because of myself and because of the false documents.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49That sounds fun and quite glamorous, the transformations.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52- Did you enjoy it?- No, I hated it.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54They weren't fun to do
0:37:54 > 0:37:57because I liked the way I looked,
0:37:57 > 0:38:01and sometimes those transformations would bother me,
0:38:01 > 0:38:02like I lost my identity.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05I felt like a doll
0:38:05 > 0:38:07that was experimented on.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38Tito died in 1980.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41It was like my father died,
0:38:41 > 0:38:42just like my father.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59I can't explain the mourning.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12They took us to visit his mausoleum - Kuca Cveca, it's called.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15You would have to queue for two days
0:39:15 > 0:39:18to visit his tomb and pay your tribute -
0:39:18 > 0:39:20the entire Yugoslavia was there.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55This is when it all started.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59You could sense the separation coming from the point
0:39:59 > 0:40:01that each republic would have their own president.
0:40:14 > 0:40:15MILOSEVIC SPEAKS TO CROWD
0:40:21 > 0:40:24The first time I saw Milosevic was on television.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28I saw him during this big rally in Kosovo.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56The separation and hatred already started by then.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58In every city, there was a national ID.
0:40:58 > 0:40:59You're a Serbian, Albanian,
0:40:59 > 0:41:04this guy's from Croatia, you know, from Kosovo.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07I don't know, great tension - everything was cracking open.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10For me, as an Albanian in Montenegro,
0:41:10 > 0:41:12the hatred was very visible,
0:41:12 > 0:41:14just pure hatred.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17This is where the huge partition started.
0:41:23 > 0:41:24CROWD CHANT
0:41:39 > 0:41:41After Tito died,
0:41:41 > 0:41:46separatist groups in different nations of Yugoslavia
0:41:46 > 0:41:47just rose up...
0:41:48 > 0:41:53..and they really contributed to the final end of that country...
0:41:55 > 0:41:56..to its dismantling.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13I think that you'll have to agree that Yugoslavia is a pretty
0:42:13 > 0:42:17spectacular country, and we haven't even seen half of it yet.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Tomorrow night, Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia,
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Sarajevo, the site of the 1984 Winter Olympics
0:42:23 > 0:42:27and then, Dubrovnik, one of the most exciting,
0:42:27 > 0:42:30unique and charming little cities in all of the world.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33I saw it last night and I can't wait for you to see it,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36so I'll see you tomorrow night from Yugoslavia.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38TRADITIONAL MUSIC PLAYS
0:42:43 > 0:42:44EXPLOSION
0:43:05 > 0:43:08GUNFIRE
0:43:08 > 0:43:10REPORTER: 'The ethnically mixed communities of Muslims, Serbs
0:43:10 > 0:43:13'and Croats have traditionally lived together in peace...
0:43:15 > 0:43:18'..until a majority of the people in Bosnia-Herzegovina
0:43:18 > 0:43:19'voted for independence,
0:43:19 > 0:43:23'denying Serbia its plans for a newly-formed Yugoslavia.'
0:44:06 > 0:44:09All the darkness of Milosevic's regime
0:44:09 > 0:44:11left a huge mark on people's soul.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15Many people just like...
0:44:16 > 0:44:18..to the war zones,
0:44:18 > 0:44:23you know, sent to Dubrovnik or Bosnia to kill, to rape.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39I like this area, I really do.
0:44:41 > 0:44:42It's so green.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51This is the street where I spent many hours during the '90s,
0:44:51 > 0:44:56because I was demonstrating against Slobodan Milosevic and his rule.
0:44:57 > 0:45:01It has very strong and very fresh memories.
0:45:01 > 0:45:03I mean, just...
0:45:03 > 0:45:06We tried to say, "Look, it's time for you to go.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09"You are taking us into total disaster."
0:45:12 > 0:45:16It is just interesting to pass here after so many years.
0:45:19 > 0:45:20Nice treat.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26- REPORTER:- 'It's time to turn up the pressure on Yugoslavia,
0:45:26 > 0:45:29'the European community decided today.
0:45:29 > 0:45:30'Behind closed doors,
0:45:30 > 0:45:33'they imposed immediate trade sanctions against Yugoslavia,
0:45:33 > 0:45:35'and the UN Security Council is to be asked
0:45:35 > 0:45:37'to coordinate an oil embargo.'
0:45:37 > 0:45:39What we've decided today
0:45:39 > 0:45:43is to impose sanctions on the whole of Yugoslavia.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47Over time, that will certainly build into an effective pressure.
0:45:47 > 0:45:48I don't know how long.
0:47:58 > 0:47:59- MIKE:- By the end of '94,
0:47:59 > 0:48:02it was the core of Milosevic' regime and activities.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06You know, times were such that you don't know
0:48:06 > 0:48:07what tomorrow's going to bring.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10We all took this rhythm of, "Come on, come on,"
0:48:10 > 0:48:12smuggling everywhere, crime everywhere,
0:48:12 > 0:48:15nobody thought about real jobs.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17I mean, there's no real job.
0:48:17 > 0:48:18I had a good deal of money.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22When there was a job, cracking safe,
0:48:22 > 0:48:24I would go abroad for a month or two.
0:48:26 > 0:48:30It was a good job, profitable, you know, we were dancing to the music.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40It was the time of turbo-folk music.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43Every time I hear it, I feel chaos.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45SHE SINGS IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:48:55 > 0:48:59Everybody was trying to swindle you, rob you, cheat,
0:48:59 > 0:49:02it was bare survival - just deceit after deceit.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08There was not a single night that somebody wasn't beaten up or killed.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36The black market has flourished under the sanctions.
0:49:36 > 0:49:41There is a widespread network of illegal dealings in all spheres
0:49:41 > 0:49:44and it is done with the quiet consent of Serbian government.
0:49:48 > 0:49:53- MILENA:- It is the truth that crime erupted during the wars,
0:49:53 > 0:49:55which is usual and expected.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58Many people became criminals, but not all.
0:50:00 > 0:50:01We all had choice.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06It wasn't easy, it was difficult.
0:50:06 > 0:50:11I could become prostitute or drug smuggler or oil smuggler,
0:50:11 > 0:50:12but I've not.
0:50:17 > 0:50:18THUNDER RUMBLES
0:50:42 > 0:50:44REPORTER: 'It's not over yet.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47'Hundreds were kicked out of Kosovo today, literally -
0:50:47 > 0:50:49'kicked and beaten at the border
0:50:49 > 0:50:50'within sight of freedom.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56'And so, the biggest forced exodus in Europe goes on
0:50:56 > 0:50:58'with enough bitterness to ensure
0:50:58 > 0:51:02'that Albanians and Serbs will find it hard ever to live together again.'
0:51:04 > 0:51:08Europe couldn't do much, you know, it was getting too big -
0:51:08 > 0:51:11refugees from Bosnia, from Kosovo, from Croatia...
0:51:12 > 0:51:15..and 70% of these refugees went to Europe,
0:51:15 > 0:51:18and so the criminal went to Europe,
0:51:18 > 0:51:20and this is the beginning of Pink Panther.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29- MILENA:- Some change just happened in 2000 -
0:52:29 > 0:52:32a few people started to rob
0:52:32 > 0:52:35really, really big values.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43OK, they are using guns.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45This is to scare.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47That is the only purpose of gun,
0:52:47 > 0:52:52but one of their condition is no victims.
0:52:57 > 0:53:00They were actually creating the signature
0:53:00 > 0:53:03of what we know now as Pink Panthers.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08And as one Panther said,
0:53:08 > 0:53:11"After that, you have ten years of very good life."
0:53:22 > 0:53:25MIKE: So we waited for a festival that was about to take place,
0:53:25 > 0:53:27and we waited a long time.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32It was some kind of a religious thing,
0:53:32 > 0:53:36a fiesta, music, dancing, just some kind of noise.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39That was what we were waiting for -
0:53:39 > 0:53:41some kind of noise that they couldn't hear us
0:53:41 > 0:53:43banging through the walls.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49Because the crooks need time,
0:53:49 > 0:53:52they're more likely to hit safes on weekends or holidays.
0:53:52 > 0:53:57They're clever about finding ways to do it without attracting attention.
0:54:00 > 0:54:04There was four of us plus one guy in a van.
0:54:04 > 0:54:08We were completely hidden by the people in the street.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11FIREWORKS AND STREET CHATTER
0:54:14 > 0:54:19We were all dressed up, we had our masks, bodysuits,
0:54:19 > 0:54:22completely covered up - you couldn't see us at all,
0:54:22 > 0:54:25and now the action could begin.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30RUBBLE BREAKS
0:54:34 > 0:54:37We only needed to pickaxe the wall.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40In the end, there was a hole this big
0:54:40 > 0:54:43and we squeezed through it into the boutique behind.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55We knew everything that was in a glass case was alarmed. It's a trick.
0:54:55 > 0:54:58They always do this. They alarm cheap stuff like a decoy.
0:54:59 > 0:55:01But the real booty is in the save!
0:55:05 > 0:55:09So we got to the safe, we try to take it out with the pickaxe...
0:55:11 > 0:55:17But we couldn't. We were looking at it and there was no chance.
0:55:17 > 0:55:22Then we saw the screws were inside the concrete
0:55:22 > 0:55:24and we had the idea to lift it up with the car jack.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27Lucky there was one in the van.
0:55:27 > 0:55:33We got out, we took the safe out of the shop and we put it in the van.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42People around us, fiesta, fireworks - incredible.
0:55:50 > 0:55:54Thing is, there's no panic when you do the job.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56The panic begins when you run.
0:56:03 > 0:56:05But we drove away through the people.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07And we went away into the woods.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22We got out by a lake, I remember.
0:56:22 > 0:56:27Somewhere dark, somewhere safe. Somewhere secure.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30And then we began to open the safe.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39You get the safes that are mechanical, numerical,
0:56:39 > 0:56:45with locks, and you get the digital ones. I can crack them all.
0:56:45 > 0:56:47Digital safes are the easiest to open.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49You take some powder and dust them
0:56:49 > 0:56:53and you can see the fingerprints and you know everything.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55Numerical ones are the hardest.
0:56:55 > 0:56:59You have to use your hearing, you have to have very good hearing
0:56:59 > 0:57:02and a good memory. This is very difficult.
0:57:03 > 0:57:07But in this case we couldn't open it. We tried everything.
0:57:07 > 0:57:08We made phone calls.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11I spoke to another safe expert. But we gave up that night.
0:57:23 > 0:57:28You can't sleep. You can't sleep, for God's sake.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31We're all in this together, we're all friends
0:57:31 > 0:57:35but with this kind of loot, your brain works on different frequency.
0:57:35 > 0:57:37You could have two or three million euros
0:57:37 > 0:57:39and you don't know what will happen.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42I don't know. Money is money, you can't separate.
0:57:42 > 0:57:45If one of us is missing, he could take it all.
0:57:51 > 0:57:53- WOMAN:- I was in the flat on my own.
0:57:53 > 0:57:56I was already worrying why they were not back yet.
0:57:56 > 0:57:58They didn't call, no phone calls at all
0:57:58 > 0:58:00because that was the arrangement.
0:58:00 > 0:58:02I didn't know what was happening,
0:58:02 > 0:58:05all kinds of thoughts were going through my head.
0:58:05 > 0:58:07I would often cry and I wanted to get out of the flat
0:58:07 > 0:58:10but I was told not to do that.
0:58:10 > 0:58:12Sometimes I wouldn't even care about the money.
0:58:12 > 0:58:14I waited for HIM, not the loot.
0:58:27 > 0:58:32We had to wait for the morning to buy additional tools that we needed.
0:58:39 > 0:58:43We bought two more crowbars, one big, one small, we took another
0:58:43 > 0:58:46pickaxe and we thought we could do something with burning gas.
0:58:53 > 0:58:56And when we had the tools, we went back to the lake.
0:58:56 > 0:59:00We were guarding the van outside and inside we could speak
0:59:00 > 0:59:02and pick until finished.
0:59:02 > 0:59:05THUNDER CRACKS
0:59:10 > 0:59:13It took over an hour to open the safe.
0:59:13 > 0:59:18When you open a safe and you see it's a full, full safe...
0:59:20 > 0:59:22There's the feeling, it's like,
0:59:22 > 0:59:26a feeling you might faint any moment.
0:59:26 > 0:59:28I love that!
0:59:31 > 0:59:37And in this safe there was plenty of stuff. There was really a lot.
0:59:37 > 0:59:41We found six bags that we call rolls.
0:59:41 > 0:59:44It was three stones,
0:59:44 > 0:59:48three bags of stones, two with bracelets
0:59:48 > 0:59:50and one with watches. Er...
0:59:52 > 0:59:55In the newspapers, when it came about the robbery,
0:59:55 > 0:59:57it said the value three million.
0:59:57 > 1:00:02And if I can only say what else we found, inside of the safe!
1:00:02 > 1:00:07We found a fake penis! You say dildo, no?
1:00:07 > 1:00:11And I bet you they didn't declare that to the police!
1:00:11 > 1:00:13HE LAUGHS
1:00:30 > 1:00:34- What do they do with the jewels? - We don't know exactly.
1:00:34 > 1:00:38What we know, the jewels are going very fast out of the country
1:00:38 > 1:00:41to where they committed the robbery.
1:00:41 > 1:00:44The day after, the jewels are disappeared.
1:00:44 > 1:00:47We think they are going in Italy or in Montenegro or Serbia
1:00:47 > 1:00:50and after, it is sold.
1:01:03 > 1:01:05So, what do you do with the diamonds?
1:01:06 > 1:01:10We bring the stones over here to our contact in Belgrade
1:01:10 > 1:01:13but he doesn't have a market in the former Yugoslavia.
1:01:13 > 1:01:16He has to sell abroad but maybe, I don't know, Antwerp?
1:01:16 > 1:01:21We would do this job ourselves but it's very risky abroad
1:01:21 > 1:01:24because you make an offer, you give it to the guy,
1:01:24 > 1:01:28they take it and it's a set-up and bang. You're killed.
1:01:29 > 1:01:33No, we stay in the Balkans.
1:01:34 > 1:01:38TRANSLATION:
1:02:18 > 1:02:22What do you do, then, do you hide it, do you swallow it?
1:02:22 > 1:02:24HE LAUGHS
1:02:56 > 1:02:59They had a false passport and they were about to cross the border
1:02:59 > 1:03:04very easily, by plane, by car, or by train and for them
1:03:04 > 1:03:07it was difficult to follow them and to know what they are going to do.
1:03:55 > 1:03:58When they go back to the country,
1:03:58 > 1:04:01there was like a protection,
1:04:01 > 1:04:08they knew nobody is going to come to Montenegro or to Serbia to pick them there,
1:04:08 > 1:04:11even if you have an arrest warrant, because some of them
1:04:11 > 1:04:16were involved with the politicians and so it was very difficult,
1:04:16 > 1:04:19so they knew that as soon as I have made my robbery,
1:04:19 > 1:04:22I go back to the country - there I'm protected.
1:05:30 > 1:05:35That's right, in the Balkans they speak of the pinks like Robin Hood.
1:05:36 > 1:05:38But that's not reality.
1:05:38 > 1:05:44Normally, about the guys we know, the money they use or they have
1:05:44 > 1:05:48they're not going to give that for the Red Cross or...
1:05:48 > 1:05:51an association in Montenegro.
1:05:51 > 1:05:55You have some who will reinvest some money in drugs,
1:05:55 > 1:05:59some who put the money in real estate
1:05:59 > 1:06:03and some just use the money for fun.
1:06:11 > 1:06:13Then the pink starts changing.
1:06:14 > 1:06:18He starts gambling, going out all the time, the money that we had,
1:06:18 > 1:06:21we start to rapidly spend it more and more.
1:06:21 > 1:06:24And then we start arguing.
1:06:24 > 1:06:28I wanted to somehow attract him to live a different kind of life.
1:06:30 > 1:06:34I thought perhaps he needs only one more job and he would change.
1:06:34 > 1:06:36It would change his life.
1:06:39 > 1:06:44But I saw that he wouldn't change for anything or anybody.
1:06:44 > 1:06:48He said he wanted me to continue my life and that he didn't know
1:06:48 > 1:06:51if his life would ever change.
1:06:52 > 1:06:54Then I gave up on him.
1:06:56 > 1:06:59MILITARY MARCHING CHANT
1:07:03 > 1:07:07My name is Green and I'm from Bosnia-Herzegovina.
1:07:07 > 1:07:11I don't consider myself as one of Pink Panthers but I am connected.
1:07:21 > 1:07:25In 1996, I joined the special operation unit
1:07:25 > 1:07:28because I knew that the contacts in the Serbian security service
1:07:28 > 1:07:31would allow me job benefits in the future.
1:07:35 > 1:07:38My first criminal job in Bosnia
1:07:38 > 1:07:41was importing stolen cars from Europe.
1:07:41 > 1:07:44The second job was human trafficking for prostitution,
1:07:44 > 1:07:48predominantly from Ukraine and Moldova.
1:07:48 > 1:07:54So, it is only the third phase that we do drugs, cocaine and diamonds.
1:07:54 > 1:07:58Nothing in diamonds could be done outside the Serb secret service.
1:08:01 > 1:08:05America asked the United Nations to prevent diamond smuggling
1:08:05 > 1:08:08because this war in Sierra Leone was financed by diamond trade.
1:08:11 > 1:08:14The Americans requested every diamond sold in Sierra Leone
1:08:14 > 1:08:18had to have a certificate about its origin and everything,
1:08:18 > 1:08:23so we actually, my group and myself, learned how to make certificates and
1:08:23 > 1:08:26how to make clean illegal diamonds that are ready for the market.
1:08:37 > 1:08:40The first contract with Pink Panthers was when I started
1:08:40 > 1:08:42the diamond business in Antwerp.
1:08:42 > 1:08:46They would bring diamonds to me and my team would process it,
1:08:46 > 1:08:48forging diamond certificates
1:08:48 > 1:08:52and inputting real information from Sierra Leone that was
1:08:52 > 1:08:56mined in this and that place and it has original certificates.
1:08:56 > 1:09:00The entire genesis, America asked the United Nations to establish.
1:09:07 > 1:09:12The diamonds are cut, reshaped, but they get smaller.
1:09:12 > 1:09:14If it was 30 carats, it is now 15.
1:09:16 > 1:09:19They are clean in every sense of the word.
1:09:19 > 1:09:22It's not possible to prove they are not clean.
1:09:24 > 1:09:27Our biggest clients are Americans.
1:09:27 > 1:09:30I will say, although I've never been to America, my diamonds
1:09:30 > 1:09:32are on the hands of the brides.
1:09:37 > 1:09:41I receive information, Al-Qaeda also purchase diamonds.
1:09:44 > 1:09:46Diamonds have a good exchange value
1:09:46 > 1:09:49because they don't leave electronic trace.
1:09:54 > 1:09:59Every transaction over 15,000 euros or dollars is controlled.
1:09:59 > 1:10:01But who controls diamonds? Nobody.
1:10:02 > 1:10:05You can come out with a tiny bag full of diamonds
1:10:05 > 1:10:08and you can buy a bowl filled with cocaine.
1:10:11 > 1:10:12The real...
1:10:12 > 1:10:17the first step on the real work on the Pink Panthers is 2007,
1:10:17 > 1:10:22when Monaco pushed Interpol to make a project work...
1:10:22 > 1:10:25to create this Project Pink Panther.
1:10:25 > 1:10:28And the real job, for me, began at this time.
1:10:28 > 1:10:32Because at this time, we began to say, "OK, they are linked,
1:10:32 > 1:10:35"they are reselling.
1:10:35 > 1:10:41"A lot of these teams are linked and working in all Europe.
1:10:41 > 1:10:43"And we have to do this project
1:10:43 > 1:10:47"so we can put all the information together."
1:10:47 > 1:10:50If we take one example, this guy,
1:10:50 > 1:10:54we see that he is connected to this guy
1:10:54 > 1:10:58because they were arrested together, in 2004.
1:10:58 > 1:11:03And at the same time, he is connected with this guy
1:11:03 > 1:11:06because they have done a robbery together.
1:11:06 > 1:11:10Because we know that there are, between some groups,
1:11:10 > 1:11:11like, a small competition -
1:11:11 > 1:11:16who is going to make the biggest robbery.
1:11:16 > 1:11:22And we know that there are some targets in the world
1:11:22 > 1:11:28and the first one who is going to make that will take...
1:11:28 > 1:11:33a little bit, like, take the lead on the other teams.
1:11:47 > 1:11:52Well, the night of the incident, it was just a regular night out,
1:11:52 > 1:11:55hanging out with some friends.
1:11:55 > 1:11:58And I get a call from a friend of mine
1:11:58 > 1:12:02who informs me that there's a big robbery going on at Wafi.
1:12:07 > 1:12:09She tells me that her husband's there
1:12:09 > 1:12:12and he's just sent her, on BlackBerry,
1:12:12 > 1:12:15a video shot of what's happening.
1:12:15 > 1:12:17CONFUSED SHOUTING
1:12:20 > 1:12:23I immediately headed out to Wafi
1:12:23 > 1:12:27and I just saw police cordoning off the area around it.
1:12:27 > 1:12:31CONFUSED SHOUTING
1:12:41 > 1:12:45I was standing at the entrance and started clipping pictures
1:12:45 > 1:12:48and trying to see what's going on and what's happened.
1:12:51 > 1:12:54Out comes the door - the Dubai police chief.
1:12:58 > 1:13:02The first words that have come out of his mouth that night was,
1:13:02 > 1:13:04"These were definitely not Arabs.
1:13:05 > 1:13:07"This was too well-organised."
1:13:09 > 1:13:11CONFUSED SHOUTING
1:13:16 > 1:13:19So what happened? You went straight to the mall?
1:13:19 > 1:13:24Yes, I went straight and I meet my commanders, also, in the area.
1:13:24 > 1:13:26And we closed the places
1:13:26 > 1:13:29and we find some glass is on the ground
1:13:29 > 1:13:31and the evidence from all the things.
1:13:31 > 1:13:36And we must be careful about the place and that's what we're doing.
1:13:41 > 1:13:44The cars have come out of this main doorway,
1:13:44 > 1:13:46that's right behind us,
1:13:46 > 1:13:48drove straight through onto this road
1:13:48 > 1:13:51which connects them to the outside of the mall
1:13:51 > 1:13:52and into the highway,
1:13:52 > 1:13:56where we're going to retrace the route that they've taken, right now.
1:14:10 > 1:14:13From this point onwards, to the highway,
1:14:13 > 1:14:15there are no traffic lights.
1:14:15 > 1:14:19So the guys had more or less
1:14:19 > 1:14:21clear access to the roads.
1:14:34 > 1:14:38So the thieves dumped the cars, set fire to them,
1:14:38 > 1:14:41jumped into their getaway car and now they have disappeared.
1:14:43 > 1:14:47The whole thing would have possibly taken them about ten minutes.
1:14:56 > 1:14:59Next day morning, early morning,
1:14:59 > 1:15:02the two cars were found abandoned and burnt.
1:15:02 > 1:15:05One of them more than the other.
1:15:05 > 1:15:08- MAJOR GENERAL:- He closed all the window of the cars.
1:15:08 > 1:15:12When he closed the window, there is no oxygen for the fire inside
1:15:12 > 1:15:15and then we find all the evidence inside this car.
1:15:15 > 1:15:18We find the gloves, we find some dress,
1:15:18 > 1:15:22we find the tanks who have used the chemicals to burn the cars.
1:15:22 > 1:15:25Immediately, we know this is organised
1:15:25 > 1:15:27from Pink Panther organised crimes.
1:15:27 > 1:15:30This is what I feel immediately,
1:15:30 > 1:15:32when I go back to see the CCTV camera.
1:15:37 > 1:15:40TRANSLATION:
1:15:58 > 1:16:04At that time, every single Serbian who has had a record
1:16:04 > 1:16:06was picked up and questioned.
1:16:14 > 1:16:17TRANSLATION:
1:16:26 > 1:16:29- So how many people did you have working on the job?- Anything.
1:16:29 > 1:16:31We don't get a limit for that.
1:16:31 > 1:16:33It depended about
1:16:33 > 1:16:36what the kind of work they will be doing is.
1:16:41 > 1:16:44Over the next three, four days, it just went frantic.
1:16:46 > 1:16:51They kept on feeding information to the Interpol,
1:16:51 > 1:16:55for the international police force to try to get these guys.
1:16:59 > 1:17:02TRANSLATION:
1:17:15 > 1:17:18It's not easy for anyone to do any crime
1:17:18 > 1:17:22and not leave any evidence.
1:17:22 > 1:17:25They left evidence, that helped us.
1:17:25 > 1:17:29Because this is forensics and that's the beauty of DNA.
1:17:38 > 1:17:41We got information from Interpol about the DNA.
1:17:41 > 1:17:43So we were working.
1:17:43 > 1:17:45And we knew that they rented a car.
1:17:46 > 1:17:48But this car,
1:17:48 > 1:17:51nobody knows where this car is.
1:17:52 > 1:17:55Then we found the car.
1:17:55 > 1:17:58We decide that we will not take the car.
1:17:58 > 1:17:59We will watch it.
1:18:11 > 1:18:12And we find one guy -
1:18:12 > 1:18:14they try to open the car and we catch him,
1:18:14 > 1:18:16because that guy, they sent to take the jewels
1:18:16 > 1:18:18out of the country.
1:18:24 > 1:18:27We find the jewellery inside this car.
1:18:34 > 1:18:37Police, when the arrests were made,
1:18:37 > 1:18:40called in a huge press conference.
1:18:40 > 1:18:41All the media was there,
1:18:41 > 1:18:45laid out the jewellery in front of everybody and said,
1:18:45 > 1:18:47"We've caught them, we've nabbed them.
1:18:47 > 1:18:48"We're done."
1:19:03 > 1:19:05And who were the others, then?
1:19:05 > 1:19:07- You had a picture of the girl. - Yes.
1:19:07 > 1:19:09- But she's not in prison?- No.
1:19:09 > 1:19:12She's in Serbia, so maybe she cannot be arrested in Serbia.
1:19:12 > 1:19:16I hope she'll be arrested in Serbia. But I know her.
1:19:18 > 1:19:21We tried to discuss this with Interpol.
1:19:21 > 1:19:23We tried to do so.
1:19:37 > 1:19:40So if a member of the Pink Panther gang watches my film,
1:19:40 > 1:19:41what is your message?
1:19:42 > 1:19:45To be far from our area.
1:19:45 > 1:19:49Don't try to play with us, because we are not playing.
1:20:07 > 1:20:11They had a great period between 2000 and 2006.
1:20:11 > 1:20:14And the problem for them, it is that the connection
1:20:14 > 1:20:18between the different police in Europe is a problem for them.
1:20:19 > 1:20:21We can exchange information very easily.
1:20:21 > 1:20:24And on top of that, with Serbia and Montenegro now,
1:20:24 > 1:20:25we have a good connection
1:20:25 > 1:20:29and they are cooperating with the Western police in Europe.
1:20:29 > 1:20:34So for them, it's going to be harder to commit these robberies in Europe.
1:20:34 > 1:20:36And that's what Interpol said -
1:20:36 > 1:20:40it's one of the first time they have such a project
1:20:40 > 1:20:44which gives so much information
1:20:44 > 1:20:47and who bring us to so many arrests.
1:20:51 > 1:20:53Since 2007,
1:20:53 > 1:20:58you have nearly 50 people who were arrested across Europe.
1:21:22 > 1:21:26- Is it still safe here? - Oh, no, no, no.
1:21:26 > 1:21:29Montenegro isn't a safe haven any more.
1:21:29 > 1:21:32Montenegro has started to extradite people
1:21:32 > 1:21:34because they want to join the European Union.
1:21:35 > 1:21:37So it's not any more about doing it and escaping.
1:21:37 > 1:21:39You have to protect yourself here as much as there.
1:21:45 > 1:21:48But, you know, now we lead much more simple lives.
1:21:49 > 1:21:51Things slowed down and, you know...
1:21:51 > 1:21:54Now it's becoming more difficult and more dangerous,
1:21:54 > 1:21:56because the police know all the tricks.
1:22:05 > 1:22:08It would be very nice to feel secure,
1:22:08 > 1:22:11to be in your home - safe.
1:22:12 > 1:22:16And this is the consequence of this job - paranoia.
1:22:21 > 1:22:27You see, now I walk down the street and my head goes like...
1:22:27 > 1:22:28Like a rear view mirror, you know?
1:22:28 > 1:22:30Am I being followed?
1:22:30 > 1:22:33Does anybody see me? Anybody follow me?
1:22:33 > 1:22:35The habit lingers.
1:22:36 > 1:22:38Even now, in my pocket, I have pills - had pills -
1:22:38 > 1:22:39just in case.
1:22:46 > 1:22:48But crisis throws you back in it.
1:22:48 > 1:22:52You are used to a lot of money, lots of fun.
1:22:52 > 1:22:56You have a reputation - easy money spent, easy money earned.
1:22:56 > 1:22:59It burns quickly, so when you're left with no money,
1:22:59 > 1:23:01you don't know how to do another job.
1:23:01 > 1:23:03INTERCOM BUZZES
1:23:22 > 1:23:27We have always old teams who work, who try to make new teams,
1:23:27 > 1:23:31and at the same time, we have brand-new teams.
1:23:31 > 1:23:35We have a lot of guys working in all Europe.
1:23:36 > 1:23:39For me, they're more violent.
1:23:39 > 1:23:41Already, their entrance in the jeweller's
1:23:41 > 1:23:43is not so professional
1:23:43 > 1:23:46and there could be mistakes inside,
1:23:46 > 1:23:50and that could be more dangerous for us,
1:23:50 > 1:23:55because the attitude of the bad guys could bring us to a tragic end.
1:24:07 > 1:24:09Look, I must warn you something -
1:24:09 > 1:24:14you cannot say the Pink Panthers' era is over,
1:24:14 > 1:24:17because you don't know what will happen next.
1:24:20 > 1:24:24It is maybe just the end of one generation.
1:24:26 > 1:24:30But what is going on with the other teams from other countries
1:24:30 > 1:24:31that want to do the same?
1:24:33 > 1:24:35Maybe we are just witnessing the development.
1:24:51 > 1:24:54I went back to Dimitrovgrad.
1:24:54 > 1:24:55Bad. Very bad.
1:25:08 > 1:25:10I was physically and mentally shaken,
1:25:10 > 1:25:14and after all that luxury, I was completely broken down.
1:25:14 > 1:25:16I was depressed.
1:25:16 > 1:25:18But I realised that I have to carry on with my life.
1:25:20 > 1:25:22I got married to a man who gave me hope.
1:25:22 > 1:25:24He was completely legal.
1:25:24 > 1:25:27He wasn't corrupt, he wasn't criminal.
1:25:27 > 1:25:30But I finally started a new life with him.
1:25:30 > 1:25:32I started a family.
1:25:32 > 1:25:34BABY GURGLES
1:25:38 > 1:25:41In my heart, I remain what I was.
1:25:41 > 1:25:43Milan is the man I love.
1:25:43 > 1:25:46But when kids come, you can't choose.
1:25:46 > 1:25:48You have one path.
1:25:48 > 1:25:50You cannot continue on criminal path.
1:25:56 > 1:25:59My mother was very pious and with her,
1:25:59 > 1:26:01I would sometimes pray to God before bedtime.
1:26:05 > 1:26:07But also in those moments of hardship,
1:26:07 > 1:26:09I would often go to church to light a candle,
1:26:09 > 1:26:12to cry and to think about things.
1:26:12 > 1:26:14And do you still believe in God?
1:26:14 > 1:26:18Yes, yes, of course. And I teach my children. Of course.
1:26:19 > 1:26:21We have to ask for His forgiveness.
1:26:22 > 1:26:25And all these people who are criminals, believe me,
1:26:25 > 1:26:29they believe in God more than regular people.
1:26:29 > 1:26:32We have to pray a lot more for His forgiveness.
1:26:32 > 1:26:34God is merciful.
1:26:34 > 1:26:35And maybe He will.
1:27:17 > 1:27:19Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd