Samsung factory targeted in $38 million heist

A BRAZEN raid on a Samsung factory in Brazil has seen 20 robbers with ID badges load up trucks with 40,000 phones, laptops and tablets, worth $38 million.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S tablet launched in New York on 13 June 2014 - Samsung is pitching its new tablet as an alternative to Apple's high-end iPad Air

AROUND 20 armed robbers raided a Samsung plant in south-eastern Brazil on Monday, leaving with 40,000 smartphones, laptops, tablets and other electronics worth $38 million that were loaded in seven trucks, police said.

The thieves arrived after midnight at the plant in Campinas, a city near Sao Paulo, taking guards and 200 employees hostage, a local police spokesman told AFP.

Witnesses told the G1 news website that the robbers, who had staff ID badges, were not aggressive. They ordered everyone to remove their phones’ batteries to prevent them from making calls.

They stayed at the plant for three hours and knew exactly where the most valuable merchandise was located, witnesses said.

Samsung said in a statement that nobody was injured and that the South Korea-based company was cooperating with the investigation.

Originally published as Samsung factory targeted in $38 million heist