French Police Recover 900 Bottles of Stolen Wine Worth $6 Million in 'Seizure of the Century'

Thieves often go through surprising extremes to steal wine: tunneling into high-end restaurants from the property next door or swooping in with an all-terrain vehicle in the middle of the night to grab grapes right off the vine. But authorities have also proven they’re willing to go the extra mile to prevent wine-related crimes, and in France, an armed task force was reportedly able to recover about $6 million worth of stolen bottles of wine—all 900 of them. (Feel free to take a second to do that math!)

The operation—known as “Magnum”—was a coordinated effort across three locations in Franc—Gironde, Dordogne, and Loire—with authorities recovering over 900 bottles and arresting about 25 people, according to The Drinks Business. The results of the yearlong operation were dubbed the “seizure of the century” by the site Franceinfo, which reported that police successfully saved wines made by plenty of top French producers—including whole cases of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (holder of the title of the most expensive wine ever) as well as bottles from Cheval Blanc, Petrus, and Yquem. The wines reportedly were stolen from warehouses, shops, and even acclaimed restaurants like the legendary three-Michelin-starred eatery Georges Blanc.

Despite apprehending suspects in multiple parts of the country, French authorities apparently suspect that the thieves were all part of an organized crime group. “These are professionals who know how to foil security measures; from cameras to alarms or motion detectors,” Patrick Leonard, Bordeaux’s interregional chief of police, was quoted as saying.

Recovering fine wine isn’t unheard of. For instance, in 2018, a French chef had about 250 stolen bottles worth about half a million dollars returned to him by French police, according to the AFP. However, the size, scope, and value of this most recent seizure are what make it so incredible. Handling the math, the average price of each bottle easily eclipses $6,000. Hopefully, these criminals knew a thing or two about proper wine storage.