Saint-Tropez: Four Spaniards arrested after $260,000 watch theft

Four Spanish nationals were apprehended by gendarmes in the Saint-Tropez area following a pursuit, after allegedly stealing a luxury watch worth an estimated 260,000 euros from a Brazilian tourist. The theft occurred on Saturday, and the watch has since been recovered and will be returned to its owner, according to the Var gendarmerie. The suspects fled in a vehicle after the incident but were eventually stopped in Cogolin, near Saint-Tropez. The arrest followed a chase along the winding roads of the Saint-Tropez gulf, as reported by local media. The owner of the watch stated its value to be around $300,000 (approximately 261,000 euros). This incident highlights a recurring problem on the French Riviera during the summer. Highly specialized and organized thieves target the jewelry of wealthy international tourists. In Saint-Tropez alone, nearly fifteen luxury watches have been stolen since the beginning of the summer season. Authorities have made arrests in four of these cases, apprehending a total of eight individuals, while investigations continue for the others. To combat this wave of crime, the Gassin-Saint-Tropez gendarmerie unit has been reinforced with a detachment from the Central Office for the Fight Against Itinerant Delinquency (OCLDI). Working under the Draguignan prosecutor's office, this specialized unit is focusing on these luxury watch theft cases.