Pink Panthers
19
MENTIONS
5
EPISODES
5
PODCASTS
Search complete. 19 mentions across 5 episodes found for "Pink Panthers".
Oct 21, 2026
James LongmanGUEST
And that's, I think, where we move into the organized crime of it all.
James LongmanGUEST
There's a group in Europe called the Pink Panthers, which are from Eastern Europe.
James LongmanGUEST
It's been suggested that, and this is one of, I think they're probably Europe's most famous heist gang.
James LongmanGUEST
And it's been suggested that one of these individuals, because he was making trips to Eastern Europe, may have links to the Pink Panthers.
James LongmanGUEST
None of that is substantiated.
James LongmanGUEST
We have absolutely no evidence to suggest that's the case.
James LongmanHOST
And you know what? A lot of them have the same theory about who they think is really pulling the strings behind the scenes.
speaker_11SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Now, when you think of a syndicate or group of people that get together and do a lot of jobs, you think of maybe the Pink Panthers.
speaker_12SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Pink Panthers, totally their mode opératoire.
speaker_12SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Crazy, botched, Pink Panther caper.
James LongmanHOST
Now, you might not have heard of the Pink Panthers, but they're a notorious gang of bandits who are responsible for hundreds of jewel thefts in 20 countries.
James LongmanHOST
And it was a stunt from one of their early thefts that gave the inspiration for their name.
James LongmanHOST
In a 1975 detective movie called The Return of the Pink Panther, a large diamond is stolen and it's hidden away in a jar of face cream.
James LongmanHOST
They stole a huge diamond.
Arthur BrandGUEST
Well, may I say something about it? Because there is something to it.
Arthur BrandGUEST
The most famous organized crime group targeting jewels and gold and silver are the Pink Panthers.
Arthur BrandGUEST
They originate from former Yugoslavia.
Arthur BrandGUEST
There are 200 men and women there.
Arthur BrandGUEST
They call
James KirkhamHOST
themselves that?
Arthur BrandGUEST
Yes, well, they are being called the Pink Panthers.
Arthur BrandGUEST
They were responsible for thefts in Japan, in Miami, in Dubai.
Danny GoldHOST
But in a twist, a rival faction of corrupt Ukrainian police feeds this info to his would-be killers and even supplies the logistics and the firearms for the four-man Skoljari hit squad, two Montenegrins and two Serbs.
Danny GoldHOST
The hit itself is contracted out on Scogliari's behalf by a high-ranking member of the Pink Panthers, the infamous Jewel Heist Syndicate from the Balkans, and yes, we did an episode on them years back.
Danny GoldHOST
Two of the hitmen approach Zwicker outside his building as he's heading out for a morning jog and open fire.
Danny GoldHOST
Five shots into his arm and chest.
6 MINS LATER
Danny GoldHOST
You got networks of guys running goods across borders that don't really exist anymore.
Danny GoldHOST
There's conflict, so regular commerce has really slowed down.
Danny GoldHOST
If you listen to our Pink Panthers episode, again, another good one from back in the day, about the high-end jewelry thieves who are going to function here, a lot of those guys came up out of exactly these networks.
Danny GoldHOST
So does most of the cast of this episode, right? It's a breeding ground for all types of future criminal shenanigans.
speaker_0HOST
The robbery took less than three minutes.
speaker_0HOST
It would become one of the crimes associated with a network that acquired an almost cinematic nickname, the Pink Panthers.
speaker_0HOST
The name didn't come from the criminals themselves.
speaker_0HOST
After investigators searching a suspect's apartment discovered a valuable diamond ring concealed inside a container of face cream, the hiding place reminded the British press of a scene from The Return of the Pink Panther, and the name stuck.
speaker_0HOST
But Interpol was dealing with something more serious than a colorful nickname.
speaker_0HOST
By 2008, the organization said the transnational group had been linked to at least a hundred high-value armed robberies in nearly ten, twenty countries involving more than a hundred million euros.
speaker_0HOST
The Pink Panthers were also unusual org- organizationally.
speaker_0HOST
Rather than operating as one permanent crew carrying out every robbery, authorities described a broader international network in which smaller groups could assemble for particular operations.