Two Picassos, 400 bottles of wine found at burglar's home

Two Picassos, 400 bottles of wine and hundreds of other objects were discovered by police at the home of an unemployed man who seems to have spent the last four years robbing luxury villas in the Bordeaux region. Every room in the man’s house, including the garage, was stuffed with booty, police say.

Larrousiney /Open access

The stolen goods ranged from art works, including two sketches by Pablo Picasso, to packets of pasta.

“He went burgling every night, it was a real job,” a police source told the AFP news agency.

The man, who is in his 50s, lives with his family in the town of Audenge on the seaside Bassin d’Arcachon. He raided the houses of the wealthy in swish resorts like Cap Ferret and Pyla, as well as restaurants and a large wine merchant’s premises.

The perpetrator was identified thanks to DNA discovered on a glove found at the scene of one of his crimes. He had been taken in for questioning over a burglary in 2007 and police believe he has been using the same methods since then.

“Finding the victims will be an enormous task,” police comment.