The Pink Panthers

by David Samuels

It has become increasingly rare for The New Yorker to print long-form articles, but this one, clocking in at 19 pages, is one of the longest ones I've read in a while.  In it, Samuels explores the Pink Panthers, a loosely-organized group of diamond and gem thieves, mostly believed to be operating out of Serbia and Montenegro.

These thieves have hit multiple jewelery stores in places like Italy, England, France, Japan, and Dubai over the years, and while many have been caught, many more remain free.  Samuels tries to nail down the organizational structure of the group, but this task seems to be impossible.  In all likelihood, the thieves do not have a hierarchy, but operate more like cells, with decentralized groups acting independently.

Like some of the best crime reporting, Samuels re-creates the circumstances of many of the crimes, digs into the past lives of many of the lower-level operatives who have been caught, and travels through some unappealing Balkan regions.  This article is a fascinating read, made all the more human by Samuels's growing affection for some of the players.