A luxury GBP 560,000 yacht that was stolen in Croatia over the summer has been found and secured by authorities in Brazil.
The 54-metre (177 feet) Baglietto-built, Francesco Paszkowski-designed superyacht named Mischief disappeared after it was stolen in Croatia on 15th July.
The vessel was allegedly spotted in different locations around Greece several days after it was stolen, but police claimed the information provided did not match the yacht’s features.
Now, media in Brazil claim, it has been seen at the Natal Yacht Club on the coast of the city of Natal, in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte.
The vessel, now named Albina, was secured by Brazilian cops in a mutual operation supported by the Navy on Saturday, 11th November.
Federal Police said: “According to investigations, the seized vessel has the original name Mischief, is registered in Croatia, and was rented to alleged Russian tourists who took the vessel, took it to an unknown location, and changed its characteristics, renaming it Albina.
“For this purpose, they produced false ownership and registration documents in Russia.”
Media claimed that the superyacht docked in Natal after departing from Morocco, with two crew members, a Russian captain and a sailor from Lithuania, on 20th September.
Police said that the two men, whose identities were not revealed, anchored the vessel at the Natal Yacht Club and paid in advance for a 60-day-long stay.
According to the PF, the two men anchored the vessel at the Natal Yacht Club and paid in advance for a 60-day stay.
A week later, the men left the country by plane, and a Latvian woman, whose identity was also not disclosed, moved in.
Police said: “After the inspection, it was found that parts of the aforementioned yacht show similarities with the vessel stolen in Croatian waters, which is why the boat was seized, as it entered the national territory with ideologically false documentation.”
Meanwhile, prosecutors issued an arrest warrant against the two men. The woman who was found on board was banned from leaving Brazil.
In August, the yacht’s owners Ingrid and Hale Hylton offered a ZAR 700,000 (GBP 30,358) reward for any information on the whereabouts of the vessel worth ZAR 13 million (GBP 563,690).
Ingrid said at the time: “We are coming to terms with the fact that we may not get our yacht back. You don’t expect someone to steal a boat. But we are still hopeful.”
“We bought her brand new during the Covid-19 pandemic. We chose Croatia because the country is beautiful and the people there are amazing. Our last vacation on the yacht was in June this year.”
The couple had had Mischief for a year and sailed only twice on vacations before it was stolen.
The two men sought after by police are reportedly facing charges of forging documents, leading a criminal organisation, and money laundering.
Cops added: “Investigations continue in cooperation with Interpol and Europol.”
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Story By: Georgina Jadikovska, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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