Database expands reach of Interpol

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By Mark A. Kellner

CORRECTION: The original version of this story misstated Mr. Noble's history with Interpol. He was elected secretary-general of Interpol in November 2000 and removed himself from consideration for FBI director by the incoming Bush administration.

A distance of 2,900 miles — and two time zones — separate Vaduz, Liechtenstein, and Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

But experts at Interpol, the 85-year-old international police agency with 186 members, recently used DNA to link seemingly disparate jewel heists in the two locations.

What's more, they ultimately found a global network of jewel thieves — dubbed the "Pink Panther" bandits — that has stolen about $147.1 million in gems, Interpol Secretary-General Ronald K. Noble said in a recent interview.

Without technology, he said, the cases might never have traced back to an amorphous group of criminals that originated in the Balkans. Now, some arrests have been made and other jewel thieves are being sought.

Mr. Noble will host a global gathering when the General Assembly of Interpol opens in St. Petersburg on Monday. Guests for the event include Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

A veteran senior official in the Clinton administration who served in the Justice and Treasury departments, Mr. Noble was elected secretary-general of Interpol in November 2000 and is on his second five-year term.

Once a 9-to-5 clearinghouse, Interpol under Mr. Noble has become a 24/7 global agency turning a focus on some of the world's most difficult - and distressing - crimes.

"A jewelry store robbery occurs in a mall in Dubai. A car is driven through [the front windows]. People leave with millions of euros in stolen jewelry," he said, describing the scene of one heist by the global jewelry thieves.

"In this case, Dubai sent 14 DNA specimens to Interpol headquarters. We put it in our global database of anonymous DNA, and we were able to link it to an armed robbery in Liechtenstein, matching four DNA specimens. Through DNA, fingerprint analysis, linked to 99 other crimes involving the same [modus operandi] in Europe, Asia, Japan and the Middle East."