Napa Expensive Wine Bandits Nabbed After Nob Hill Heist

NAPA-Napa police arrested two San Jose residents Monday on suspicion of stealing $4,000 worth of expensive wine from stores in Napa and in several different counties, a police lieutenant said.

Police responded around 7:10 p.m. Monday to a report of a wine theft at the Nob Hill food store at 611 Trancas St., Lt. Debbie Peecook said.

A store employee detained one of the suspects but two others fled in a vehicle, Peecook said.

A Napa County sheriff’s deputy who stopped the vehicle on southbound state Highway 29 near state Route 121 found 14 bottles of wine allegedly stolen from the food store and 60 more bottles of wine valued at more than $4,000 in the vehicle, Peecook said.

The wine was determined to have been stolen from stores in Napa earlier Monday evening and potentially from other stores in several different counties, Peecook said.

Sheriff’s deputies also found cocaine and individually packaged baggies of methamphetamine during the vehicle stop, Peecook said.

Napa police arrested Phu Ngyen, 51, and Chi Ung, 37, both of San Jose, for burglary, grand theft, possession of cocaine, possession of methamphetamine for sale and conspiracy, Peecook said.

The male suspect who was detained in the store has not officially been identified, Peecook said.

-Bay City News Service, image via ShutterStock