Suspected jewel thief A suspected international jewel thief who allegedly attempted to steal close to a million dollars in merchandise from a Kahala shop has been caught in Italy.
is nabbed
He is believed to have approached
jewelry stores in Hawaii
in November 2001By Rod Antone
rantone@starbulletin.comHonolulu police said they were notified earlier this week that Nordine Herrina, 27, was arrested by police in Milan on Dec. 12.
Police said federal investigators have been contacting law enforcement in each state where Herrina had allegedly stolen jewelry.
As of December 2001 it was estimated that Herrina and his accomplices had struck 30 times in the United States since 1994, taking an estimated $10 million in diamond jewelry, according to the Jewelers Security Alliance, which represents about 19,000 jewelry firms nationwide.
JSA officials described Herrina as having "committed numerous distraction thefts all over the world from high-end retail jewelers," in each case posing as either a Saudi Arabian prince or as a member of Saudi royalty's entourage.
Police believe Herrina was on Oahu on Nov. 12, 2001, when he posed as a bodyguard for a Saudi Arabian princess and attempted to buy jewelry from Hilgund Jewelers in the Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
Employees at the Wedding Ring Shop in Ala Moana Center also said they were approached later that same day by a man matching Herrina's description and claiming to be a Saudi bodyguard.
At Hilgund Jewelers, the store owner said the suspect picked out several pieces of jewelry, 5-carat diamonds or better, and ordered them wrapped to be picked up later.
Suspicious, the owner unwrapped the jewelry boxes before the suspect and the "princess" left the store and discovered that the boxes were empty.
The suspects were allowed to leave the store after the jewelry was returned.
A few days later, Newport Beach police in California said a man matching Herrina's description and posing as a member of Saudi royalty stole $505,000 worth of jewelry.
Then last February, Florida police issued a warrant for Herrina's arrest, alleging that he stole an estimated $1.5 million from a retail jewelry store in Palm Beach by having "palmed" some diamond rings while making it appear as though he was placing them into a ring box.
Although Herrina is said to have at least three accomplices, a man identified as his brother and two unidentified females, Honolulu police have received no information on their whereabouts.
The Hilgund Jewelers owner said Herrina was accompanied by a woman who posed as a Saudi princess who could not speak English.
Herrina allegedly used various aliases, including Prince Khalid of Saudi Arabia, Alsaoud Ben Abdelaziz and Fehmi Widad.