Fizzy Frenzy: French Police Foil $600.000 Champagne Heist

Have you ever heard of a champagne heist? While it seems like something straight out of a movie, it became a reality in France. French police recently thwarted a €600,000 champagne heist that could have had serious consequences for the luxury industry.

France is renowned for its champagne production, with the sparkling wine being a symbol of elegance and celebration. However, the high value of champagne has made it a target for thieves looking to make a quick profit. In this case, the authorities were able to prevent a major theft from taking place, but how did this even happen?

French Police Thwart a Champagne Heist

On Saturday, near Reims in the Champagne region, two lorries were reported stolen. Equipped with tracking devices, police located the vehicles and pursued them along the A4 motorway between Reims and Paris.

Police found the stolen trucks equipped with tracking devices as they sped towards Paris along the A4 highway. During the pursuit, one of the truck drivers attempted to hit a police car, but this maneuver inadvertently allowed the police to hit the truck and force it off the road.

What Happened?

In November last year, the chase commenced after a warehouse in Rheims, the Champagne region’s capital, discovered the theft of two lorry loads of champagne overnight. Unbeknownst to the thieves, the articulated trailers were equipped with GPS trackers, which revealed the convoy’s route passing Pontault-Combault on the eastern outskirts of Paris, and heading towards the capital.

Three police cars from Seine-et-Marne engaged in pursuit as the lorries entered the “Francilienne” ring road, akin to London’s M25, but the vehicles refused to halt. The lead lorry attempted to ram the police cars while heading north on the eastern side of the city. Eventually, it slowed down, and the driver jumped out at approximately 10mph.

As police approached, an accomplice-driven BMW arrived, picked up the driver, and fled. The second lorry abruptly exited the highway at Pontault-Combault, leaving the police unable to follow. The abandoned vehicle was later discovered outside a DIY store.

The Police Were Tracking Them

Police are searching for thieves who evaded capture following a ten-mile pursuit in two lorries carrying €600,000 worth of champagne. During the chase, one driver abandoned his 38-tonne vehicle, jumping into an escorting car on the Paris outer expressway ring road. The other driver managed to escape after evading police and parking in a side street.

All bottles of Moët & Chandon from the two stolen vehicles were successfully recovered.

Are Champagne Heists Common?

Champagne thefts are a common occurrence leading up to Christmas. In late October of last year, thieves stole an articulated trailer loaded with 10,000 bottles of G.H. Martel champagne valued at €200,000 using a lorry. Although the lorry was recovered, neither the stolen champagne nor the thieves were located.

Police suspect that the perpetrators of champagne thefts may have access to insider information from within producer companies and warehouses.

Do you think the French police will be able to find the people behind the champagne heist?

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