An international thief who stole £34,000 worth of booze from the country’s top wine merchant has been jailed for 18 months.
Andrei-Gregore Zaboloteanu was part of a gang which targeted the award-winning shop in a late night cross-border raid.
Along with several other masked men, he raided Luvians Bottle Shop in St Andrews, Fife, before dragging heavy bags of upmarket wines and spirits to a getaway van.
Police eventually traced the vehicle to an address in Luton, more than 430 miles away, and found one of the thieves inside the flat with part of the haul.
At Dundee Sheriff Court, Romanian national Zaboloteanu, 33, was sent to prison after he admitted being part of the professional crime gang.
He admitted acting with others to break into Luvians and stealing alcohol worth £34,080.96 in May 2020.
Just £836.99 of the haul was recovered and, when Zaboloteanu was quizzed by officers, he initially denied involvement, saying: “No, it’s not true.”
Sheriff Lorna Drummond QC said: “You broke into commercial premises and stole £34,000 worth of alcohol.
"It’s a serious offence and it is one that I have no doubt in my mind justifies you being sent to jail for a significant period.”
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