Quite a complex preamble to re-enact a day job. Three cells need to accept multiple letters, five more need to be initially blank. There is an unclued perimeter and a change to be applied at the end to fill the blanks and remove 8 out of nine mebers of the set. That makes no sense until clues are solved.
The three cells that needed extra letters started from the end of 20 up to the end of 17 and down to the second cell of 22ac (spelling out PYRAMIDE) in a triangular pattern
PY RAM IDE
The French word for Pyramid and the most famous French version is at the Louvre. The further emphasis of a French theme came from 8 dn TUILERIES (the gardens next to the Louvre)
1ac became RUE DE RIVOLI (to the north of the Louvre)
COURONNES (far right column) meaning crowns and RIVER SEINE At the base of the grid. (to the south of the Louvre)
The title alludes to a recent robbery there involving a LADDER that is to occupy the blank cells from the second last cell of 23dn to the R in COURONNES. To complete the theft the letters in COURONNES (barring the R need to be removed)
Thanks Artix – very topical and a nice execution too
Key * anagram – underline definition Rev reversed DD double definition
Across
8 Fish for all to see in nets at sea (7)
(innets)* around u (for all to see) = TUNNIES
12 Uncle Sam, endlessly flying, departs as Virgin peaks (8)
(uncle sa)* + d (departs) = UNSCALED
13 Green area local embraces (5)
Hidden aREA LOcal = REALO
14 E.g. Nvidia chips Chinese desire (4)
IT (e.g. Nvidia) + ch (Chinese) = ITCH
16 Sue over mousy manure (6)
beg (sue) around dun (mousy) = BEDUNG
17 Put middle of fork into pickle bowl (3)
or (middle of fork) in jam (pickle) = JORAM
18 Frost makes right by kid (4)
hoar swapping r (right) for x (by) = HOAX
19 Bring up booty (4)
DD REAR
20 Clock Eastern curtain-twitcher? (3)
e(eastern) + spy (curtain twitcher) = ESPY
22 They choose party drinks reportedly (4)
Homophone of Ciders (party drinks) = SIDERS
23 Tramps over millet (6)
pros (tramps) + o (over) = PROSO – enter PROSEO
25 Under 20 or roughly 30(4)
(eten)* = TEEN
27 Ruskin’s source and these, his misfortunes, could generate thrills (6)
(thrills – r)* = ILLTHS
29 Maybe McGregor banishes Welsh on-stage whelp (4)
ewan (maybe McGregor) – w (welsh) = EAN – enter DEAN
30 Retired giant from Waltham Forest? (4)
E 10 (Waltham forest) = ETEN
31 Ruin Ferrari’s monocoque? (8)
car (Ferrari) + case(monocoque) = CARCASE enter CARACASE
32 Scale up popular protein (7)
(scale)* + in = SECALIN
33 Rackets where Roy principally overrides odds in sports? (5)
swap r for sp (odds) in sports = RORTS
Down
1 Race Ten initially for smallest dog? (4)
run (race) + t (ten initially) = RUNT
2 Nurse and surgeon prepare for old-timer’s entrance (5)
en (nurse) + ch (surgeon) + arm (prepare for) = ENCHARM
3 Not in country, source of long face (4)
India (country) – in + l (source of long) = DIAL
4 Clumsy shrew-mole drops hot little parasites (8)
(shrew mole – h)* = EELWORMS
5 In the name of God, direct from R&J prologue (5)
ind (in the name of god) + ex (direct from) = INDEX
6 Green composer snubbed practice once (7)
Verdi (composer) – I + ure (practice once) = VERDURE
7 They climb and, after climbing, secure French art (6)
Rev. nail (secure) + es )French art) = LIANES
9 Name port in Senegal (not the same in Othello) (9)
bastia (port) in sen (Senegal – egal(same)) = SEBASTIAN
10 Gas overwhelms middle of pure cell (6)
Neon around ur (middle of pure) = NEURON
11 Neighbours across pond and what might be found there (4)
Alabama(Al) and Georgia(Ga) = ALGA
15 Shy towards ceiling overturned rodent (4)
coy (shy) + Rev. up(towards ceiling) = COYPU
18 Welcome governor opening Alaskan haven (7)
hi (welcome) + dey (governor) + hole (opening) = HIDEYHOLE
21 Sons change dye trader (6)
s (sons) + alter (change) = SALTER
22 What guides idiot savant? (6)
(savant)* = SATNAV
23 Fruit to pierce top-to-bottom (6)
spear (to pierce) swapping s to end = PEARS enter PEARLS
24 In a stew you may see noxious offal (6)
(a stew)* = WASTE enter E-WASTE
26 Get serious after losing tricky set (5)
earnest(serious) – (set)* = EARN enter DEARN
28 Prior to long for rector to leave preacher (4)
preacher – ache(long) + r (rector) = PRE enter PARE