Inside job? Paris immigration lawyer robbed of goods worth €1.3 million in storage facility heist

An Algerian suspect escaped with luxury goods and case files, while an employee suspected of being complicit fled to the United States

By Thomas Brooke
3 Min Read

A storage unit belonging to a Parisian immigration lawyer was robbed last month, with thieves walking away with two suitcases containing luxury watches, cash, and confidential legal documents worth an estimated €1.3 million.

As reported by Frontiéres, an Algerian national broke into the Une Pièce en Plus storage center on Rue Paul Dautier in Vélizy on July 3, which advertises top-level security with cameras, alarms, and controlled access.

However, surveillance footage shows the thief moving calmly through the premises, dressed in black with a cap and sunglasses. In less than three minutes, he bypassed a faulty elevator sensor, forced open a single cubicle, and walked out with the targeted suitcases.

The alarm system triggered three times during the theft, but no guard intervened, and no calls were made. Suspicion quickly focused on Sherasade M., a Franco-Algerian employee on duty at the time. According to the victim, she was the only person aware of the cubicle’s contents and location.

In the days after the heist, she failed to log the burglary during routine rounds and soon vanished from her post altogether. Social media posts placed her in luxury resorts, including Mykonos and Saint-Tropez, before she left France for the United States, where she remains untraceable.

Investigators describe the burglar as tall and thin with a mustache. They are apparently Algerian.

Authorities believe the theft was premeditated and likely linked to an organized North African network. “We’re talking about a perfectly executed theft, facilitated from the inside. And today, it’s a lawyer who’s been targeted. The networks will stop at nothing, not even stealing from one of their own,” a source close to the case told the French news outlet.

The victim, a lawyer specializing in immigration law, confirmed that the stolen files contained sensitive information related to ongoing cases involving foreign nationals. Steps have since been taken to protect remaining data and notify affected clients.

Frontiéres noted that this is not the first scandal to hit Une Pièce en Plus. In a separate case, nearly €5 million in gold bars were stolen from another branch, with investigators again pointing to insider collusion. That theft also led to the arrest of an Algerian national illegally residing in France.

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