In Alicante, a Latvian national nicknamed gastrojeta became notorious for dining and drinking in bars, restaurants, and cafes across the town center and even at St John Beach, without ever paying a euro. The city’s hoteliers watched in growing alarm as he moved from one establishment to another, confident he would leave with an empty wallet and a full belly. The National Police could only intervene when a bill hit the innkeepers’ expenses, restraining him with a string of arrests that piled up in a short period. After a night in the dungeons and a trial, he was released on parole for a minor fraudulent charge, but the pattern persisted. In just two months, he racked up 15 arrests for fraud tied to unpaid meals totaling 766 euros, with most items consumed but not paid for, and one case involving a coat valued at 484 euros. A court in Alicante finally resolved one of these incidents against the man, sentencing him to Fontcalent prison for failing to pay a 900 euro fine, following a December conviction for an unsettling act of free dining. The legal process underscored a troubling pattern that had stretched through the local dining scene for weeks.
From that point forward, hoteliers could breathe a little easier, at least for a while. The man spent 22 days behind bars after a second round of police actions because he had allegedly dined at a well-known restaurant on San Juan Beach without paying. The account in question totaled 67.50 euros for a meal that included an entrecote among other dishes. He did not settle the bill and was taken into custody by the National Police, who also recorded his latest bed and board as part of the jail intake. The jail, operated by the Alicante State Police, housed him during these events, a stark reminder of the consequences his actions had already triggered among local business owners and residents alike.
14 transfers of detainees in Alicante for nonpayment in bars and restaurants. THIN
By December 15, he stood trial for a petty fraud charge, before Education Court No. 9 Alicante. The court ordered a fine of 900 euros and a separate compensation of 67.50 euros to the restaurant involved. By that point, he had already been detained three times since November 28 and released after the proceedings, only to resume the same nonpayment pattern until the previous Tuesday. Reports state that he was not registered in Alicante at the time, and his address remained unknown. Between November 28 and January 31, he had been arrested 15 times by the National Police, illustrating a troubling cycle of exploitation of dining establishments and avoidance of payment.
You threaten a waiter.
In one of the incidents, police added charges included a threat to a waiter. Alongside the unpaid sum of 75.30 euros, he allegedly intimidated the waiter and produced a cutting knife from the table, making a swift exit. The pattern of nonpayment, starting at modest amounts around 14.80 euros and climbing through a series of visits to large cafeterias in Alicante, culminated in an alleged 409 euro jacket and 81.40 euro total that remained unsettled last Tuesday in a central cafeteria. This marked the most recent arrest, followed by another petty fraud trial the next day. He claimed the wallet could not be found at the time of payment, yet the accumulated circumstances suggested a recurring scheme and a feigned reluctance to be evacuated by ambulance, lending an air of theatrics to the proceedings.
Aidas turned 50 yesterday, and as he left the courtroom, he appeared unfazed by the attention and the prospect of jail. His demeanor suggested indifference to the legal consequences and to the prospect of changing menus or strategies in the days ahead, leaving the rest of Alicante to adapt to a new normal where dining out could be a risk that demanded upfront payment and vigilance from merchants and police alike.
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