Revenge as a motive Woman spills millions worth of wine in Spain

dpa

28.6.2024 - 22:22

Security camera footage: wine is spilled in the storage room of the Cepa 21 winery.
Security camera footage: wine is spilled in the storage room of the Cepa 21 winery.
Bild: dpa

In the middle of the night, a person breaks into a winery - but not to enjoy a free glass of fine wine. Four months later, the mysterious break-in is about to be solved.

DPA

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  • A woman deliberately spilled around 60,000 liters of wine in a Spanish winery.
  • It was probably a former employee who acted out of revenge.
  • She has now been arrested as a suspect 40 kilometers north of Madrid.

A woman is said to have deliberately spilled around 60,000 liters of top-class wine with an estimated value of more than 2.5 million euros in a winery in Spain out of revenge.

The former employee of the winery was arrested as a suspect in Villaescusa de Roa, around 40 kilometers north of Madrid, reported the TV station RTVE, the newspaper "La Vanguardia" and other media, citing the authorities. The responsible police unit, the Guardia Civil (Civil Guard), confirmed this information on request.

According to the findings, the woman is said to have acted out of revenge because she had previously been dismissed from the well-known winery Bodegas Cepa 21. The alleged act of sabotage took place in February in the municipality of Castrillo de Duero, around 150 kilometers north of Madrid. The incident caused quite a stir in Spain.

"A bittersweet feeling"

The president of the damaged company, José Moro, has now told "La Vanguardia" that he has a "bittersweet feeling" following the arrest. Although he is now "relieved and happy" about the alleged clarification, he still cannot understand "how such a sacrilege could have been committed". He is also sad that the spilled wine is lost forever and cannot be enjoyed. Not to mention the "economic blow" to his winery, Moro emphasized.

Suspects at large

The burglary was recorded by security cameras on the night of February 18. Videos published by the media at the time showed how a masked person entered the storage room of the winery in the prestigious Ribera del Duero wine region at around half past three in the morning and opened the taps of five steel tanks containing wine from premium brands such as Malabrigo and Horcajo in less than a minute.

From the outset, it was assumed that the intruder must have known his way around the plant very well. The suspect has since been released on conditional release as there is no risk of escape, it was reported.