Two people have been jailed in Spain for stealing 45 bottles of wine worth 1.6 million euros ($2.5 million) from a Michelin-starred restaurant after a 14-course dinner and tour of the cellar.
The woman was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday and her Romanian-Dutch accomplice was handed a four-and-a-half-year sentence after being found guilty of aggravated robbery.
They were also ordered to pay damages to insurers worth more than 750,000 euros, the court said in a statement.
It gave their names only as Tatiana and Estanislao.
According to the court, the 29-year-old Mexican woman checked in to Restaurante Atrio in the city of Cáceres in October 2021, using a fake Swiss passport and carrying only a backpack.
A hotel employee who lifted the bag noticed it weighed very little.
The woman was later joined by her 47-year-old male accomplice.
They had a 14-course dinner at the hotel's restaurant and were then taken on a tour of the wine cellar.
Shortly after 2am, the woman ordered a salad to her room, distracting (
) the sole night staff member so her accomplice could take an electronic key from reception.
He failed to gain access to the cellar as he had taken the wrong key, so the woman tried another diversion by asking for a dessert.
The man managed to retrieve a master key and sneak into the cellar, where he stuffed 45 bottles — including a unique 19th-century vintage worth 350,000 euros — into the backpack and two bags with towels to prevent the glass from clinking.
The couple left the hotel before dawn and fled Spain.
After a nine-month hunt across Europe, they were detained by border guards while crossing from Montenegro into Croatia.
Home
by kondo Wed Feb 22, 2023 6:14 pm
Dobro, znaš šta sam hteo da kažem....
