Providing sailing news for sailors

When it comes to luxury brands associated with sailing, Rolex is the undisputed leader. As the title sponsor of some of the most important races, their watches are revered worldwide. But it’s not just sailors who like them… they’re also liked by rovers.

Known as the ‘Rolex robbers’, America’s Cup Challenger of Record skipper Ben Ainslie handed over his money to knife-wielding thieves, and it wasn’t an isolated incident. He was just the latest victim of thieves targeting wealthy holidaymakers in Barcelona and other popular tourist destinations.

In some cases, they steal on behalf of Italian criminal gangs, who use the money released from the resale of the watches to finance drug trafficking and other criminal activities.

Specialised teams of robbers are based in Naples, Italy, and are travelling to cities across Europe to track down holidaymakers with expensive watches, police said.

Spanish officers, along with colleagues in Italy, France and Germany, arrested 35 suspected members of the gangs during raids that began in Naples in March.

Europol has set up a special unit to tackle Rolex robbers who targeted wealthy tourists across the continent. – Full report