The Brink’s-Mat gold heist took place in November 1983. An armed gang carried out a meticulously planned raid and stole gold bullion worth almost £26 million (roughly £111 million in 2025) from the Brink’s-Mat security depot near Heathrow Airport in London. It is one of the UK’s biggest ever robberies in terms of contemporary value. The heist is currently the subject of a dramatised thriller series on BBC One entitled The Gold.
Extensively Researched
In the enthralling, extensively researched, and at times mind-boggling The Gold, Neil Forsyth and Thomas Turner unravel the complex, mysterious and brutally violent impact of heist. The authors leave no stone unturned. They delve into the events of a murky tale, including considerable anecdotal information, in an attempt to piece together all the pieces of a complex jigsaw of crime and its seemingly never-ending aftermath.
They identify the involvement of criminal entrepreneurs, unscrupulous lawyers, money launderers, and secret societies. Perpetrators of this crime intermingled with corrupt members of the Police Flying Squad in a brotherhood that feigned respectability.
When the six armed robbers burst into the Brink’s-Mat warehouse, they were expecting to nick about £1 million in foreign currency. They were ruthless thugs who, by chance, came across £26 million worth of gold ingots. The robbers were not expecting bullion, and the haul was far beyond their capabilities. The fact that they had no plans or underworld links to sell it on or smelt it down for “readies” set in motion what the authors term “the gold chain”. This resulted in great wealth for some but violent death for others.
Free-Flowing Narrative
The free-flowing narrative is presented in a format that stimulates interest and emotion. The authors pull no punches with their in-depth knowledge and analysis of the impact of the extended entrepreneurial criminal fraternity chasing dirty money. They hone in on the criminals and other corrupt elements of society, revealing the wealth, power, and influence of this burgeoning hierarchy and its associates.
The key issue for detectives was to ascertain whether the gangsters had insider knowledge or help. In 1980-81, Scotland Yard’s Criminal Intelligence Branch established an operations unit. This unit built up detailed pictures of hardcore Southeast London criminals and their cohorts. Their work quickly led to the identification of one of the workers, Tony Black, who provided the necessary insider information. His identification highlighted the repercussions he faced after pleading guilty and giving evidence to the detectives.
When Black was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment, the judge stated, “Never again will your life be safe.” This was a public indictment of the penal system’s inability to safeguard prisoners with a “price on their head” from violent beatings by other prisoners who were in the pay of other darker forces. Black needed a change of identity and safe passage, plus cutting all links with family and friends.
Criminal Gains
Readers meet the hierarchical members of notorious crime families and gangs in London. These organisations have used criminal gains to accumulate significant wealth in terms of property, investments, and financial influence. The key people who superseded gang members such as Micky McAvoy and Tony Robinson in moving the gold included the Adams brothers. They were specialists in money laundering and fencing proceeds of crime. Kenneth Noye, who lived in Kent under a “facade of respectability”, had a savage temper and a desire to make money by any means. John Palmer, also known as “Goldfinger”, was a major fence, handling millions of pounds’ worth of stolen goods.
The key factor was that Palmer was a known gold dealer with a smelter. Noye and Palmer had amassed considerable wealth from a VAT scam on gold coins smelted into bullion (ingots or bars). They were key players with crucial roles in the sophisticated schemes to turn the £26 million into usable funds.
In the illuminating chapter “Kenny and John”, the authors explain the extent of the “cultivation of influence” of the criminals. Kenneth Noye’s journey into the hierarchy of criminality had its roots in his reputation as a fence with access to large sums of cash. He was also a property developer in outer London, Kent, and Surrey, and had investments in Florida and the Netherlands. His skill in cultivating links with people in positions of power and authority facilitated his journey into the murky London underworld.
Unscrupulous Activities
The authors note that Noye came into contact with some influential and powerful men. These included serving police officers and bullion dealers when the Hammersmith Lodge Freemasons accepted him into their ranks in January 1980. They met at the Star and Garter pub in Brentford. Some readers may be familiar with or have been victims of John Palmer’s unscrupulous activities. He amassed massive wealth through timeshare scams in Tenerife, in addition to his gold smelting operations.
Readers may well find the violence of the gangsters gut-wrenching and emotionally disturbing. The frankness of the writers is evident regarding the police surveillance team searching the vast grounds of Holywood Cottage – Kenneth Noye’s property in Kent. The killing of Detective Constable Keith Fordham, and the follow-up enquiry and court case also highlight the issues of trial by jury.
This is evident in the chapter “A Cold Night in January”. It highlights the hurdles of external influence that challenge the police in their quest to deliver justice. In the trial, the defence did not deny that Noye had killed DC Fordham. However, they argued that the surveillance was illegal and Noye had acted in self-defence. The jury found Noye not guilty.
Laundering of Dirty Money
Many commentators have labelled the Brink’s-Mat gold heist as the most significant robbery of all time. It created considerable wealth for those in the know by promoting large-scale international money laundering. A new breed of money launderers appeared alongside the more established criminal fraternity of professional armed robbers and fences. These fresh faces invested considerable amounts of the wealth generated into the property boom in London. The most significant amounts found their way into the London Docklands, as well as in Kent and Surrey. The authors discuss the determination of the underwriters at Lloyds of London to pinpoint the receivers of the gold and trace that back to the suppliers.
This mind-blowing insight into organised crime details the myths, legends, and consequences of the largest robbery in history. The authors unravel the impact on the lives of the informants. This involves the murder of the police surveillance officer, the trial of Kenneth Noye and the shooting of key smelter John Palmer. Forsyth and Thomas investigate the violence committed against others involved in the laundering and investment of dirty money. They also highlight the links between professional criminals and members of the legal profession, the financial world and the police force within secret groups and societies.
Well worth reading.
We hope you enjoyed reading “Brink’s-Mat Gold Heist”. Click here for more of John’s book reviews.
Author: John Morris for Love Wrexham Magazine
John is an FA coach. He has worked with young players at Fulham, Chelsea, QPR and Wrexham, promoting resilience, tenacity and self-discipline. He is currently a consultant addressing growth mindsets to promote sports, education, and business performance.
