A source from the GNR in the northern Portuguese city of Vila Real told Lusa News Agency that 14 burglaries had been recorded at the Casa do Douro headquarters in Peso da Régua, and as part of investigations 1,925 litres of port wine in bulk and 25 boxes of port wine bottles were recovered and three vehicles seized.
A man was also arrested in possession of the wine. A further two individuals were charged along with some people identified as receiving the stolen wine.
Agostinho Santa, chairman of the board of Casa do Douro nominated by the Government and who has been in the post since the end of June, told Lusa that the number of burglaries at the wine guild was “worrying” and that when he took office he had found some of the guild’s warehouses in complete disarray.
“We boarded up the doors because there were doors that were completely open, we put chains where it was possible to place chains, we installed locks and internal barriers to make it more difficult to get in,” he said.
Santa said it was also strange that Casa do Douro did not have 24-hour-a-day security “in the places where the treasures are” meaning the wines. Many of these are very old and rare and have been seized by the State because of debts owed by Casa do Douro.
He added that the wines that are located in a variety of different warehouses would now be placed into just two, which will have 24-hour closed circuit surveillance.