Luxury watch made from parts of the Titanic and seized from a former cop-turned-cartel leader during a 2012 gun battle sells for nearly $9,000 at auction in Mexico
- Mexico’s government sold a Romain Jerome watch, made from parts of the sunken Titanic, at an auction of gems confiscated from cartels
- The luxury timepiece, which sold for $8,724, is one of 2,012 that were manufactured using parts from the ship’s hull
- The Romain Jerome watches retail between $4,600 to $102,000
- The watch belonged Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez, a former leader of the Gulf Cartel, and it was seized during a 2012 operation
- Mexico has been selling jewelry confiscated from cartel members and tax cheats and all of the funds will be donated to poor communities
A luxury watch made using part of the sunken Titanic and seized from a police officer-turned-drug cartel leader has sold for nearly $9,000 at auction in Mexico.
The timepiece was among several bejeweled pieces that were confiscated from Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez, the former leader of the Gulf Cartel who was arrested during a 2012 bloody gun battle with the Marines.
The Romain Jerome watch, numbered 121 of 2,012 limited watches in existence, includes scrapped metals from the British passenger ship that sunk in the Atlantic Ocean on its maiden voyage in 1912.
The watch once owned by Costilla Sánchez, who ditched the police force in 1995 and quickly ascended to the top of one Mexico’s most powerful cartels at the time of his apprehension, was sold last week for $8,724 to Carlos González, a 29-year-old jeweler, according to El Democrata.
Mexico sold through an auction a Romain Jerome watch that was made from scrapped metals from the sunken Titanic
The Swiss watch. which was numbered 121 of 2,012, was sold for $8,724 to a local jeweler in Mexico at auction last week which also featured 2,000 pricey gems confiscated from cartel members and tax cheats
The Swiss watchmaker was able to manufacture the exclusive timepieces by utilizing parts from the ship’s hull and then fused it with steel to produce several gold and platinum pieces.
The Romain Jerome watches retail between $4,600 to $102,000.
Mexican authorities also seized 13 other watches along with several chains, bracelets and rings belonging to Costilla Sánchez, who was charged with the June 2010 assassination of Rodolfo Torre Cantú in the midst of his campaign for governor of the northeastern state of Tamaulipas.
Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez (center), a former leader of the Gulf Cartel, who was arrested during the 2012 bloody gun battle with the Marines, was the owner of the Romain Jones watch which was made from part of the Titanic
The Mexican Marines seized 14 luxury watches and other pricey jewelry items belonging to Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez during a September 2012 gun battle that led to the drug cartel leader’s arrest
The luxury watch was among 2,000 items that include diamond-encrusted earrings, watches, bracelets, chains and other luxurious accessories that were seized during raids in years past from drug cartel members and tax cheats.
The most expensive piece listed is a men’s Piaget watch, valued at $155,000, which hasn’t been sold yet.
The seized bling was sold through the Institute to Return Stolen Goods to the People, which Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador created.
The agency auctions real estate and jewelry, mostly confiscated from criminals or in tax cases.
The government was able to generate $522,000, which will be donated to fund several projects throughout poor communities in Mexico.