THE BORDEAUX GANG BUSTED

FRENCH POLICE say they have dismantled a gang of 2O thieves believed to have stolen $1.39 million worth of wines from prestigious Bordeaux vineyards. Recent raids across the region led to the arrests of highly organized thieves targeting Grand Cru vineyards. A theft had been reported roughly every 15 days for the last six months. About 3OO gendarmes, mobilized across four regions of south-west France and Paris, arresting suspects after a series of raids. Detectives believe the gang were stealing the wines to order.

Colonel Ghislain Réty, gendarmerie commander, said: “In each case they would steal a van and then head to the vineyards they had already chosen and load up several dozen cases of wine.” After removing the cases from the designated chateau’s stores and escaping, the thieves cleaned their fingerprints from the vehicle with bleach and then set fire to it. Detectives will not say how they managed to break into so many vineyards and the winemakers – concerned about their reputations and security – have also remained quiet. Investigators say the thieves were very well informed and that the thefts were carried out in a matter of minutes. Police say they found hundreds of bottles of wine and tens of thousands of euros in cash, as well as stolen vehicles and weapons during the raids. “We are still looking into how the merchandise was supposed to be sold,” Réty said.