A German man has been arrested in Palma for allegedly stealing a one-million-euro catamaran in Italy.
A 15 metre long, luxurious white catamaran called ‘Tramontane’ has been moored at La Lonja pier in Palma under a German flag since October 28, but actually, it’s not German and it's not called ‘Tramontane’.
When Police carried out a routine inspection of the catamaran no drugs were found. But Officers involved in the search became suspicious when they noticed 600 cans of Coca-Cola onboard.
The German skipper had allegedly rented the vessel for two weeks in Italy, then changed the flag and licence plate.
The defendant said the company that owned the catamaran had sent him a WhatsApp message at the end of the first week when he was in French waters between Sardinia and Corsica, warning that he could not leave Italian waters and instructing him to return.
He allegedly disconnected the GPS and radio beacon on October 17 and set sail for Mallorca, where he has lived since 1997 and previously worked as a car mechanic and as a sailing teacher.
He doesn’t have a job now and reportedly lives on a family inheritance, splitting his time between Mallorca and Germany.
The crew was also detained but later released after acknowledging the facts in court.
The suspect confessed that he’d had doubts about taking possession of the catamaran and had thought about returning it, but was waiting for favourable winds.
The defendant has been charged with alleged misappropriation and forgery and ordered to pay 12,000 euros for the rental of the catamaran.