Simon Hunter
A man accused of stealing 45 bottles of wine with a value of €1.6 million made an appearance on Tuesday in a Madrid court for a lesser crime: the theft of a bottle of Scottish whiskey with a value of some €5,000.
Constantin Dumitru, a 48-year-old Romanian-Dutch national, was questioned in court via video conference, given that he is currently being held in jail after his arrest for the bigger heist.
It was nearly a year ago, on October 27, 2021, that Dumitru and his girlfriend, a former Miss Mexico named Priscila Guevera, allegedly pulled off a theft that made headlines around the world, when they managed to steal the wine from the Atrio hotel and restaurant in Cáceres, Extremadura region.
The bottles from Atrio, as well as the expensive whisky, have never been recovered. Both Dumitru and Guevera are being held in custody until the case reaches trial.
As for the whisky theft, which took place in May 2019, Dumitru is accused of stealing a bottle of Balvenie, valued at €5,250.
The public prosecutor is calling for an 18-month prison sentence as well as compensation of €3,720 to the owners and €1,520 to the insurers.
Speaking in court on Tuesday the accused admitted to frequenting the Lavinia store in the Salamanca neighbourhood where the theft took place, but denied having stolen the bottle.
Dumitru is facing a third trial, meanwhile, for the theft of a bottle of wine from a Swiss airport. According to Spanish daily El Mundo, in that case a bottle of Romanée-Conti wine worth €12,000 went missing.
Dumitru and his girlfriend were arrested in July of this year when they were headed for a vacation in Croatia.
Read more:
- Vintage wine thieves behind €1.6 million restaurant robbery in Spain are caught at Croatia border
- Interpol believes stolen vintage wine bottles from prestigious restaurant in Spain have ended up outside Europe
