Italian police on Tuesday recovered most of the proceeds of a daring jewel heist that targeted a Saudi princess at a jetset hotel in Sardinia last month.
Some three-quarters of the 11-million-euro ($16-million) haul was found in open countryside not far from the Costa Smeralda resort where the burglary took place, police said.
They said the thieves must have found it ''extremely'' difficult to fence off the ''unique'' ear-rings, bracelets, necklaces and deluxe timepieces which have all been catalogued. The gang, which police said had ''international links,'' broke into the exclusive Hotel Colonna where the unidentified member of the House of Saud was staying on the night of August 5-6, prising a strongbox from the wall.
The snatch made headlines in Italy and abroad.
In mid-August the safe was found in a dump but only a few stray gems were found.
Police said they were getting closer to the gang but declined to to provide further details ''so as not to compromise ongoing investigations''.
The Saudi embassy in Rome has been informed of developments, they said.
This summer saw a rash of break-ins at hotels and luxury villas on the Costa Smeralda and at the Ligurian Riviera resort of Portofino.