They aren't laughing now.
Prosecutors in western Mexico say they have filed robbery charges against two alleged members of a gang of thieves blamed for a "clown jewels" caper.
The gang - some of whose members dressed up in clown costumes - burst into a jewellery store in the western city of Guadalajara on July 26 and made off with at least 1.2 million pesos ($NZ1.2 million) worth of booty.
The clown costumes were later found abandoned in a car.
In an announcement issued on Thursday, the prosecutor's office in the state of Jalisco says two of six suspects have been caught and charged while a third has been detained pending investigation.
It says one of the suspects confessed to being one of the men behind the masks, seeking the "clown jewels."
