Three suspected offenders have been jailed in connection with two armed robberies of jewellery metal factories in Besancon, prosecutors said. Investigators linked the cases after the two raids on 19 December 2025 and 3 November 2026, during which armed attackers fled and, in the later robbery, seized and threatened employees. Police recovered a haul of 54 kilos of gold, worth more than six million euros, during a recent international crackdown involving 16 people. Since 8 November, ten people have been placed in pre-trial detention, and an 11th suspect has been put under judicial supervision. Police said five earlier custody periods were lifted without further action at this stage. The prosecution said two of the people targeted by the investigation were already wanted, each for a conviction in absentia to 18 years in prison. They were condemned by the Meurthe-et-Moselle assize court on 12 April 2024 for robbery with a weapon and robbery with a weapon in legal recidivism. In the first robbery on 19 December 2025, the armed attackers used Kalashnikov-type rifles and fired in the direction of police as they escaped. The second robbery on 3 November 2026 hit a similar business nearby. That commando was heavily armed and allegedly took employees hostage and threatened them while physically mistreating some. During the crackdown, carried out with Eurojust and linked work with authorities in Switzerland and Spain, investigators also seized an arsenal including heavy weapons, rocket-launchers and explosives. The investigation is continuing, with prosecutors saying work remains underway to identify and prosecute all alleged authors in cooperation with their European partners.