The thief who washed millions of euros worth of wine down the drain earlier this year appears to be a former employee of the company. Spanish police have arrested a woman who had just finished her last day of work two days before the incident.

In February, surveillance cameras captured a man wearing a hooded cap walking through the cellar in the middle of the night to open wine barrels. The thief opened five large barrels, three of which were full.

The pictures show how the perpetrator was hit in the face with a smear of wine:

A total of 60,000 litres of wine worth 2.5 million euros were laundered. According to the owner of the wine cellar, the perpetrator mainly targeted the most expensive wines: Horcajo at 80 euros per bottle and Malabrigo at 45 euros.

The police already assumed that this person was known to the company, because the thief could easily find his way in despite the darkness. It is also difficult for the average person to open the tap of a wine barrel.

The woman has yet to offer an explanation for why she drained the wine. The winery owner says he is happy and relieved that someone has been caught, but still considers it a shame to lose so much alcohol.