The crew of chainsaw-wielding thieves who brazenly robbed The Louvre of priceless jewels in the highest-profile museum theft in living memory may have been hired by a collector, officials said.

Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said authorities are investigating whether the heist was commissioned by a collector.

“We’re looking at the hypothesis of organized crime,” she told BFM TV, adding that it could be professionals working on spec for a buyer. 4

If a collector was behind Sunday’s daring raid , there is at least a good chance that the stolen pieces would still be in a good state once they’re tracked down and retrieved, Beccuau said.

The jewels could also be used to launder profits from other criminal enterprises, according to the prosecutor.

“Nowadays, anything can be linke

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