Record $40 Billion Cash Heist in the US... How Did They Steal at Least 300kg of Cash Bundles?

Largest Cash Heist in LA History Occurs
No Leads Yet on Suspects

A theft reminiscent of the movie 'Ocean's Eleven' occurred in Los Angeles (LA), USA. On the 4th (local time), foreign media including the LA Times and KABC reported that on Easter Sunday, March 31, $30 million (approximately 40.4 billion KRW) in cash mysteriously disappeared from the cash storage facility of the security company 'GardaWorld' located in the San Fernando Valley area north of LA. The $30 million weighs 300 kg if in $100 bills, 1,500 kg if in $20 bills, and would reach 30 tons (30,000 kg) if all in $1 bills.

The footage filmed by KABC from a helicopter showed part of one side wall of the building covered with plywood. The employees of this company did not notice any money missing until they opened the safe on Monday morning, the following day.
[Photo by AP and Yonhap News]

Footage filmed by KABC from a helicopter showed part of one side wall of the building covered with plywood. Employees of the company did not notice the money was missing until they opened the vault the following Monday morning. Local media believe the building damage is related to the cash theft. However, the crime was carried out very discreetly on the day of the incident, with no alarm triggered by the facility’s intrusion detection system and almost no signs of forced entry.

GardaWorld, which manages this facility, is a large security company headquartered in Canada specializing in ATM services and cash transportation. A GardaWorld employee told NBC, "Our security system is very secure," adding, "We always check that the alarms are properly set, so just the thought that someone could bypass this system and steal that much money is shocking."

An LA Police Department (LAPD) official stated that the facility was robbed and it is estimated that the perpetrators broke through the building’s roof to enter and took the money from the internal vault. Investigators believe the method used in this crime was very sophisticated, suggesting it was carried out by a skilled group well-versed in covertly infiltrating security facilities. Authorities have not yet found any leads regarding the suspects. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said only that it is investigating the case together with the LAPD.

The LA Times reported that this incident is the largest cash theft ever to occur in LA. The previous largest cash theft in LA was on September 12, 1997, when $18.9 million (approximately 25.5 billion KRW) was stolen from a security facility. The perpetrators of that case were eventually caught.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.