A German restaurant owner and a friend with a criminal record ‘picked up’ the liquid treasure in the basement of a Tyrolean luxury hotel. The regional court sentenced him to prison. The background caused astonishment in the courtroom.
A bottle of “Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet” for a whopping 10,000 euros – a Tyrolean hotelier had stored this and many other wine rarities in his cellar. In total, no fewer than 14,000 bottles were stored in the tourist sector in the Innsbruck-Land district!
Information from guests who were in the basement
This knowledge ended up with a previously impeccable restaurateur (54) from the German Ruhr area. He was apparently looking for alternative sources of income during the Corona period and admitted that he also had acquaintances from the environment. “Yes, the idea was mine. “I know people who were in that basement,” the giant admitted during the trial. He introduced a previously convicted mechanic (52) who was constantly in need of money due to cocaine addiction and lived with him after he was thrown out by his wife.
Escape to Italy with a fully loaded car
They traveled together to Tyrol and ‘lifted’ the liquid treasure with a crowbar. The duo took 400 bottles of the finest wines, with a total value of over 1 million euros! They fled in the fully loaded van to Italy and the loot was later sold at a fence in Serbia. “In the end I only had 120,000 euros left”, according to the first accused restaurateur. He paid off his accomplice with 10,000 euros and 5,000 euros in debt relief. Figures that could not be refuted.
Chat histories were treacherous
The May 2021 coup remained unexplained for a long time, but conversations during drug investigations put German police on the right track. The jury in Tyrol saw the existence of a criminal organization, but its commercial nature was denied due to the lack of other crimes.
For each case, two and a half years in prison were imposed, which the defendants accepted after a short pause for thought. Each must pay 300,000 euros to the hotelier’s insurance, but they have paid 1 million euros.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
