You couldn't make it up dept. no.32: people-smugglers with good taste.

[fpb]

In the last few days, the Spanish State Police have been busy breaking up a gang of Spanish and Rumanian criminals who smuggled prostitutes into the kingdom. In the course of one raid, they retrieved an oldish looking violin.

It was one of about 500 known existing violins by the eighteenth-century maker Stradivari, and literally beyond price.

Comments

[sporty233.livejournal.com]

Wow... did the people who "paid" them with a Stradivari know that it is one??? They are worth hundrets of thousands Euros!! :O

Unfortunatly dealing with humans is more common than we can imagine it to be! :O We always think of third world countries were it might happen etc.. but it is more and more often direct in front of our house door in Europe! :O

[fpb.livejournal.com]

I imagine that it was held as being of great value, either as capital in itself or as guarantee against someone's future payments. I heard of Old Masters paintings being so used among criminals.