Wine thieves jailed for two years

Two men who stole wines from some of Bordeaux’s most prestigious Chateaux have been jailed.

Mourad Herzi, 30, and Kamal Khobzaoui, 47 were arrested on Friday after breaking into a wine brokerage office in Bordeaux and stealing 24 bottles of wine from its fridge, according to a report by sudouest.fr.

The wines had been produced by some of the region’s best known chateaux including Château Angelus, Château Pavie, Smith Haut Lafitte and Carmes Haut-Brion.

The theft was witnessed by a neighbour who alerted the police after being awoken by the building’s alarm system, leading to the men’s arrest and court appearance on 14 April.

Both men were sentenced to two years in jail, with a further two suspended.

The tough sentences were handed down because of previous convictions for theft, a tribunal hearing in Bordeaux heard.