London tuk-tuk driver admits stealing £24,000 worth of wine from restaurant cellar

A 61-year-old tuk-tuk driver has admitted to stealing wine worth an estimated £24,000 from a restaurant in central London earlier this summer, according to City of London police. Iuliu Kubola, who lives on Richie Street in Islington, pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary after a series of thefts that targeted the restaurant’s wine cellar.

Police released CCTV footage showing Kubola entering the restaurant’s cellar on Threadneedle Street, near the Bank of England, on May 6. The video shows him selecting bottles from the shelves and placing them into a wheelie bin. He then wheeled the bin outside and loaded it onto the back of his pedicab before cycling away. The footage was shared by police on Facebook.

Authorities said Kubola stole 73 bottles of wine during his first break-in. He returned to the same restaurant on June 15 and took another three bottles, valued at around £680. A few days later, he attempted to enter again but left without taking anything. Police did not disclose the name of the restaurant or details about the specific wines stolen.

Kubola was arrested on June 22 outside a nearby bar at approximately 12:30 a.m. PC Jordan Felstead recognized him from a police briefing and made the arrest. Detective Constable Marcus Fairclough from the City of London Police Criminal Investigation Department said officers acted quickly after spotting Kubola and making inquiries.

Fairclough emphasized that burglary has a significant impact on businesses and communities, and that police are committed to investigating all leads, including forensic evidence, to bring offenders to justice. Kubola is scheduled to be sentenced in September.

The case is part of a wider trend of fine wine thefts across Europe in recent years, with high-value bottles being targeted at restaurants in cities such as Oslo, Copenhagen, Paris, and Madrid. In some cases, thieves have managed to escape with rare and valuable wines. One notable incident in Spain involved a couple who were imprisoned for stealing bottles worth hundreds of thousands of euros from Michelin-starred Atrio in Cáceres, including a rare bottle of Château d’Yquem from 1806.

City of London police have not commented on whether any of the stolen wine has been recovered or if further arrests are expected in connection with this case.