Four men, arrested in Spain and Amsterdam in 2017 in connection with a massive diamond heist at Schiphol airport in 2005, have been jailed for up to seven years by judges in Haarlem.

A seventh man, said to be the brains between the biggest ever robbery in the Netherlands, died before he could come to trial, the Telegraaf, reporting live from the court room, said.

The theft took place on February 25, 2005 when armed robbers dressed as KLM staff hijacked an armoured car in a secure area of Schiphol airport and stole uncut diamonds said to be worth more than $72m. The diamonds were about to be loaded onto a plane and flown to Belgium.

The seven, all Dutch, were arrested in January 2017 following a tip off.

The longest sentence – seven years – went to Errol H V, said to be the organiser of the heist and driver of the money transport van. Brian D, said to be the co-organiser was jailed for six years.

KLM employee Ramazan N, who helped the gang from the inside, was jailed for five years and one other man was give a 3.5 year sentence. Two men were found not guilty.

Part of the diamond haul was recovered from a getaway car but some $43m worth of gems are still missing.