$1.6M wine heist at Spanish hotel, two suspects arrested

Investigators found that the woman booked into the Atrio hotel using a fake Swiss document, and had dinner in the restaurant with her male accomplice.

Both suspects were then given a tour of the wine cellar by staff, which is a common occurrence, according to police.

They then went up to their hotel room together, but the man left a few moments later and returned to the cellar.

He got in using a stolen master key, and left a few minutes later with three large rucksacks filled with stolen wine, stuffed with hotel towels to cushion the bottles.

While he was stealing the wine, the woman distracted staff by asking for some food to be prepared, police said, despite the fact that the kitchen was already closed.

Staff noticed the missing bottles the next morning, but the suspects had left the premises at around 5 a.m.

The thieves left Spain a few days after the heist and moved around various European countries, making it difficult for agents to pinpoint their exact location, said police.

But authorities finally caught up with them entering Croatia from Montenegro at the Karasovi Sutorina border crossing.

Spanish police hailed the “perfect coordination” between national and international investigators from authorities including Interpol.

At the time of his arrest the male suspect had two more warrants outstanding from a court in Madrid, said police.

Polo said he would buy back the stolen bottles from the thieves, in particular the 1806 Château D’Yquem.

“More than the bottles of wine, they robbed our dreams,” he told Decanter.