A former jewelry thief, Larry Lawton, told NewsNation the recent museum and candy thefts in Italy show precise, rehearsed planning and targeted intent. Three valuable paintings were taken from a museum near Parma on March 22, and nearly 414,000 KitKat bars disappeared from a Nestlé truck bound for Poland. Investigators are probing possible links to other high-profile European heists and urging businesses to tighten security.
Ex-Thief: Italy Art And KitKat Heists Show 'Surgical' Planning And Clear Intent
Ex-thief: Art and candy robbers very smart in planning, intentions
A former jewelry thief told NewsNation that two recent thefts in Italy — one at a museum near Parma and another involving a truckload of candy — demonstrate precise planning and a clear, targeted intent by the perpetrators.
Italian authorities say three paintings valued at millions of euros — Fish, Still Life with Cherries and Odalisque on the Terrace — were stolen from a museum near Parma on March 22 after thieves forced open an entrance. According to the Italian television network TGR, the suspects escaped the area by climbing over a fence.
The Italian newspaper Il Messaggero reported that the thieves allegedly intended to take a fourth, unnamed painting but triggered the alarm and were forced to abandon it during their getaway.
“(They) only grabbed what they knew to grab,” said Larry Lawton, a former jewelry thief, speaking Monday on Katie Pavlich Tonight. “They went straight to what they knew they wanted, and it wasn’t big.”
Lawton described the museum break-in as rehearsed and timed to exploit the short window after an alarm sounded. “The alarm was triggered almost immediately...they know they have three minutes. They didn’t get spooked by the alarm. They had a time, and their time is what they really followed,” he said.
At roughly the same time, nearly 414,000 KitKat bars were reported missing after leaving a Nestlé production site bound for Poland. Nestlé, based in Vevey, Switzerland, said in a statement that “the vehicle and its load are still nowhere to be found.”
Lawton acknowledged the candy theft resembled truck-hijacking tactics he once used. He warned that some businesses and authorities may be growing complacent and suggested simple countermeasures — such as tracking tags on trucks or crates — could make such thefts harder to pull off.
Investigation and Wider Context
Security experts and investigators are examining whether the incidents are connected to a broader spike in high-profile European heists. The museum thefts follow several months of major robberies at prominent institutions, including an October break-in at the Louvre in Paris that resulted in jewels and other items being taken.
Authorities in Italy and international law-enforcement partners continue to investigate the Parma thefts and the missing Nestlé shipment, seeking leads that might tie these cases to other recent cross-border criminal activity.
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