A Romanian-Dutch man is sentenced to 4.5 years in prison by a Spanish judge for a wine theft that made the news worldwide. Together with his Mexican girlfriend, who will receive a 4-year prison sentence, the man took more than 1.6 million euros worth of bottles of wine from the well-known hotel-restaurant El Atrio in the Western Spanish city of Caceres.
The theft, which according to the police had been prepared in detail, took place in October 2021. After a nine-month search, the two suspects were arrested in Croatia last summer. A Spanish judge ruled on Monday that the couple is guilty of the theft and, in addition to the prison sentences, also imposed joint compensation of more than 750,000 euros to be paid to the hotel.
The woman, a former Mexican beauty queen, is said to have distracted the receptionist at the two-Michelin-starred restaurant by ordering a salad at two in the morning. The two had already had a 14-course dinner, but after the insistence of the woman, the receptionist, who was working alone, agreed to the request.
The man, meanwhile, sneaked into the wine cellar with a key he had stolen from the unmanned reception, but it turned out not to work. After the salad, the woman therefore also ordered a dessert, which was prepared by the receptionist, which gave the man the opportunity to bring the correct key.
Once in the wine cellar, the man filled a backpack and two large bags with 45 wine bottles. One of the bottles was an 1806 Chateau D’Yquem, a Bordeaux wine with an estimated value of 350,000 euros. The couple had visited El Atrio three times before and, like many other guests, had been given a tour of the wine cellar.
The arrest of the two followed an international search that also involved the Dutch, Croatian and Romanian police. The stolen bottles of wine were never recovered.
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