The police estimated that the equivalent of around $10 million USD was taken, but since several victims refused to detail what was in their security deposit boxes, the exact value will never be known. Some criminals were traced back to an empty villa on the outskirts of town, but authorities wanted to apprehend the brains of the operation. After weeks of interrogation and dead ends, police were finally able to make some Marseille crime bosses drop a name: Albert Spaggiari (via Reservation Riviera).

Spaggiari had a past filled with petty theft and organized crime, and, ironically, once worked for the company that made the vaults in the Société Génerale. Having settled down raising chickens on a farm and working as a photographer, Spiaggiari reportedly got inspired by a novel where a bank vault is accessed from the sewers. After contacting his organized crime connections, Spaggiari supposedly had two teams of 10 men who set about securing supplies, scouring the sewers, and digging through 10 feet of concrete to get to the treasure within. Spaggiari was apprehended and only gave details when authorities threatened to arrest his wife. 

In a final twist of drama, Spaggiari made a daring escape from his trial, jumping out the window and hitching a ride from a friend nearby. He lived the rest of his life in exile, occasionally sneaking back to France to visit his wife, before reportedly dying of lung cancer. The money, meanwhile, has mostly vanished from the record, marking one of the most sensational heists in history as a near-complete success.