Pink Panthers

This article is about the organized crime network. For the series of comedy films, see The Pink Panther. For other uses, see The Pink Panther (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with PinkPantheress.

Pink Panthers
Founded byDragan Mikić[1]
Founding locationBelgrade, Serbia
Years active2001–present
EthnicityMajority Serbians and Montenegrins[2]
Criminal activitiesRobbery, art theft, burglary, possession of stolen property
AlliesSerbian Mafia YACS Crime Group, Russian Mafia, Italian Mafia, Romanian mafia.
Serbian organized crime
Organized crime groups

Belgrade gangs:

Outside the Balkans:

Operations against organized crime
See also
Notable people

The Pink Panthers are an international jewel thief network responsible for a number of robberies and thefts described as some of the most audacious in the history of organized crime.[3] The organization has roughly 800 core members, many of whom are ex-soldiers with extensive military and paramilitary backgrounds.[4] Both women and men play an equal part in the structure of the organization.[3] The organization's membership mostly consists of Serbian and Montenegrin citizens, who are believed to be Bosnian War veterans making use of their military experience for criminal activity.[5] The organization was named by Interpol after The Pink Panther series of crime comedy films.

The Pink Panthers are responsible for what have been termed some of the most "glamorous" heists in history, with one criminologist even describing their crimes as "artistry".[1] They have operated in numerous countries and on several continents, and include Japan's most successful robbery amongst their thefts. A film documentary based upon their thefts, Smash & Grab, was released on 2 July 2013.[6]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Three suspected Pink Panther gang members arrested in Monaco was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Samuels, David. "The Band of Jewel Thieves Who Robbed for Revenge". The New Yorker.
  3. ^ a b Fleishman, Jeffrey (29 July 2009). "Balkans' Pink Panther jewel thieves smash their way into myth". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  4. ^ "Pink Panthers: Daring heists rake in half-a-billion dollars". www.cbsnews.com. 31 August 2014.
  5. ^ Chiu, Richard (15 August 2019). "Pink Panthers: Europe's mysterious gang of thieves". jewellermagazine.com.
  6. ^ Cuffin, Eddie (26 June 2012). "A Look Inside The Crimes Of The World's Most Powerful Thieves". elitedaily.com. Elite Daily. Archived from the original on 12 June 2021.