Constantin Dumitru, a Romanian-Dutch man, has spent two years behind bars after being convicted of perpetrating one of the most spectacular robberies in recent times: stealing 45 bottles of wine valued at 1.6 million euros from the Atrio restaurant in Cáceres, which have never been found. The theft occurred on the night of October 27, 2021, but Dumitru was not handcuffed until July 19 of the following year at the border between Montenegro and Croatia while driving with his girlfriend, Miss Mexico Priscila Lara Guevara, who was also arrested and later imprisoned with him as a co-author. Sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for him and 4 for her for burglary with force, aggravated by the value of the stolen material, they have become known as the Bonnie and Clyde of wine.
During his first prison leave from the Cáceres jail since then, Dumitru announced that he would undertake a legal battle for what he sees as a violation of his right to a defense: “The videos, which were not seen in the trial, do not prove that I stole the bottles.” The videos, which were highly anticipated on social media and the media after the couple’s arrest, were not shown in court due to “technical problems” as claimed by the court. These videos, which have now been decrypted, are a series of black and white recordings from security cameras located presumably in different areas of the hotel where Dumitru and Guevara, along with staff and various clients, can be seen. However, they lack dates, times, and location details.
Despite Dumitru’s claims of errors in the judicial process, the Provincial Court of Cáceres ruled that the format of the videos presented was consistent with what was provided to all parties during the trial. Dumitru, who maintained his innocence throughout the trial, will be returning to the Cáceres prison after his first leave. He questions the security measures at the luxury hotel-restaurant and the insurance company’s payout for the stolen wine, highlighting inconsistencies in the case. The defense argued that if the couple were guilty of the theft, it could have been a simple theft as there was no evidence of forced entry.
The trial at the Provincial Court of Cáceres involved testimonies from nearly twenty witnesses, including hotel staff, police officers, experts, and one of the owners, sommelier José Polo. Despite surveillance footage showing Dumitru and Guevara in the hotel hallways that night, Polo could not positively identify the accused who were staying in room 107. The couple remained silent throughout the trial until Dumitru’s final statement questioning the whereabouts of the stolen wine if he was the thief. The case raised doubts about the effectiveness of the security system in place at the hotel and the handling of the investigation and trial proceedings.
Dumitru insists that the videos, which were a crucial piece of evidence, were not shown in court and could have supported his claim of innocence. He plans to continue fighting for justice, believing that there were significant flaws in the legal process that led to his conviction. The case of the stolen wine from the Atrio restaurant remains unresolved, with Dumitru and Guevara’s assertions of innocence conflicting with the conclusions reached by the court. The mysterious disappearance of the stolen wine and the lack of definitive evidence continue to cast a shadow of doubt over the convictions of Dumitru and his girlfriend.
