Editing Brink's-Mat robbery (section)

==Robbery==
[[File:Heathrow International Trading Estate from the air - geograph.org.uk - 4396984.jpg|thumb|right|Aerial view of Heathrow International Trading Estate]]
The Brink's-Mat robbery happened at 06:40 on 26 November 1983<ref name="grauniad" /> when six robbers broke into the Brink's-Mat warehouse, Unit 7 of the Heathrow International Trading Estate near [[Heathrow Airport]] in [[West London]], England.<ref name="bbc1">{{Cite web |date=15 April 2000 |title=Brinks Mat gold: The unsolved mystery |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/714289.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817153656/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/714289.stm |archive-date=17 August 2017 |access-date=12 November 2015 |website=[[BBC News]]}}</ref><ref name=times92/> It was described as "the crime of the century".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Connett |first=David |date=18 August 1992 |title=Police traced laundered money around the world |work=The Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/police-traced-laundered-money-around-the-world-detectives-described-it-as-a-typical-old-kent-road-armed-robbery--except-that-this-gang-had-pounds-26m-worth-of-gold-to-dispose-of-david-connett-reports-1540983.html |url-status=live |access-date=22 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104113255/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/police-traced-laundered-money-around-the-world-detectives-described-it-as-a-typical-old-kent-road-armed-robbery--except-that-this-gang-had-pounds-26m-worth-of-gold-to-dispose-of-david-connett-reports-1540983.html |archive-date=4 November 2012}}</ref>

The gang gained entry to the warehouse from security guard Anthony Black, who was complicit in the robbery. Once inside, they poured petrol over the staff and threatened them with a lit match if they did not reveal the combination numbers of the vault.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 June 2008 |title=Gold Clue To Brink's-Mat Robbery |url=http://www.policeoracle.com/news/Gold-Clue-To-Brinks-Mat-Robbery_16481.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091109111213/http://www.policeoracle.com/news/Gold-Clue-To-Brinks-Mat-Robbery_16481.html |archive-date=9 November 2009 |access-date=22 September 2009 |publisher=Police Oracle}}</ref> The robbers thought that they were going to steal around £1 million worth of Spanish pesetas,<ref name="grauniad" /><ref name="Whatever happened to Brinks-Mat?"/> but they also found three tonnes (96,000&nbsp;troy&nbsp;oz) of pure gold bullion<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gareth Parry |date=28 November 1983 |title=Police believe robbers have disposed of gold |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1983/nov/28/ukcrime.garethparry |url-status=live |access-date=25 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181126092645/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1983/nov/28/ukcrime.garethparry |archive-date=26 November 2018}}</ref> outside the main vault in 152 bars in 76 cardboard boxes. The gold had been stored at the warehouse overnight before being due to be transferred to Hong Kong the next day.<ref name="Whatever happened to Brinks-Mat?"/> In addition, they stole platinum, 1,000 carats of diamonds and $250,000 of [[traveller's cheques]].<ref name=84trial/> The total value of their haul was £26 million (equivalent to £{{Format price|{{Inflation|UK|26000000|1983}}}} in {{Inflation/year|UK}}{{Inflation/fn|UK}}).<ref name="Brink's-Mat curse strikes again" />