Gold Bar Found from $4.9 Million Heist

Authorities have found a piece of the massive gold heist that took place in March – one gold bar out of the $4.9 million haul.

The clue could help the FBI unravel the case of three armed men who held up the security guards of an unmarked van transporting about $10 million in precious metals from Florida to Massachusetts.

The gold bar, which weighs about 26 lbs. and is worth between $470,000 and $500,000, according to the FBI, was found in South Florida.

“This confirms that there is a South Florida nexus to this crime,” Justin E. Fleck, supervisor to the investigation, told ABC News on Monday. “We believe that additional gold bars from the robbery may still be in South Florida and we continue to need the public’s help in solving this crime.”

The heist, which took place on I-95 in North Carolina, appeared carefully planned and executed, and investigators quickly raised questions about who may have been involved apart from the three armed robbers.

“There is suspicion at this time that this could be an inside job due to the circumstances of the robbery,” Detective Josh Bissette wrote in a search warrant obtained by The Wilson Times. “The fact that the truck was robbed immediately upon it pulling over at an unannounced stop is suspicious in and of itself. It is also suspicious because there are no markings on the side of the truck that would indicate the type of cargo contained therein.”

Immediately following the robbery, the security guards reported to the Wilson County Sheriff’s office that they pulled over because of mechanical problems. But a mechanic was unable to find anything wrong with the truck, Sheriff Calvin Woodard told the Times.

One of the victims reported that he was sick from the smell of fuel in the truck and had to pull over to vomit, but the sheriff’s office said no evidence of vomit was found on the side of the road.

The FBI has not released any details about the recovered gold but is offering a $25,000 reward for information about the missing gold.

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