Repeat offender jailed for Monaco theft spree
By Laurent Duval, MonacoViews Editorial
A Latvian national has been sentenced to two years in prison and banned from Monaco for a decade after committing eight thefts including a €24,000 luxury watch.
The Tribunal Correctionnel handed down a two-year custodial sentence to a 41-year-old Latvian national who had previously been banned from Monegasque territory before returning to commit further crimes. Investigators from the Sûreté Publique linked him to eight separate offences carried out since July 2023, with the most serious being the theft of a luxury watch valued at €24,000.
The defendant was arrested in late April and appeared before the court on 12 May. When asked why he had returned to Monaco despite the existing ban, he reportedly told the court that his legs had brought him there on their own. The tribunal was unmoved by his explanation.
In addition to the two-year prison sentence, the court imposed a ten-year ban from the Principality, reflecting both the extent and persistence of his offending. The case underscores the authorities' commitment to protecting Monaco's residents and visitors from repeat criminal behaviour.