Overview
- The raid at Villa Bleu in Vallauris, which occurred on June 2, involved masked intruders who forced entry and stole a large quantity of luxury goods.
- Ben Phillips, the 33-year-old British YouTuber renting the villa, told police he was held at gunpoint, disarmed a robber and hid in a bathroom while the intruders ransacked the property.
- Police say items taken from Phillips were worth about £400,000–£500,000 and the total loss from the villa is put at roughly £1.4m–£1.5m, including Rolex watches and designer luggage.
- French anti-robbery teams used CCTV and rapid response units to arrest five suspects who were presented to the Grasse prosecutor and placed in pre-trial detention, and a separate man was detained in Nice as a suspected receiver trying to resell some of the loot.
- The case has prompted ongoing forensic work and raises wider questions about the security of high-value short-term rentals and the role of resale networks for stolen luxury goods.