In Alicante, a Latvian man earned the nickname gastrojeta for two months of relentless eating and drinking in the city’s bars, restaurants, and cafes without paying a euro. The pattern stretched from the town center to a seaside spot at Saint John beach. Hoteliers in Alicante felt the pressure as bills piled up while the man remained elusive; the National Police could only intervene when a meal wasn’t settled at an innkeeper’s expense. After a night in custody and a court appearance, the man earned parole on a minor fraud charge. In total, within two months he faced 15 arrests for fraud and unpaid bills totaling 766 euros for food and drink, with nearly every item provided in some cases, plus a coat valued at 484 euros that went unpaid. A court in Alicante found him guilty in December on one of the cases and ordered him to Fontcalent prison for failure to pay a 900 euro fine, ending a lengthy run of what authorities described as free indulgence.
imprisonment
From this point, hoteliers hoped for a window of quiet. He spent 22 days in prison. He had a meeting scheduled at a well-known beachfront restaurant on San Juan for the December 13 dishes he sampled. He did not pay the 67.50 euro bill for his entrecote and other items, and was arrested by the National Police. The officers provided him with meals and accommodations during detention. The incident led to a stay in the Alicante State Police dungeons.
On December 15, he faced trial for a petty fraud charge. The Education Court No. 9 of Alicante ordered him to pay a fine of 900 euros and to reimburse the restaurant 67.50 euros in damages.
By that time, he had been arrested three times since November 28 and was released after the trial, continuing the same behavior until the previous Tuesday. He remained unregistered in Alicante, his address unknown, though authorities reported 15 arrests by the National Police between November 28 and January 31.
You threaten a waiter.
During one arrest for fraud, the police also charged him with a threat offense. In addition to not paying a 75.30 euro bill, he allegedly intimidated the waiter, producing a cutting knife and making off with a “simpa.”
Known as gastrojeta, the man extended his pattern at subsequent visits by attempting to steal again, with sums starting at 14.80 euros at a spacious Alicante cafeteria. He walked away with a jacket valued at 409 euros and later with 81.40 euros in another central cafeteria where the bill remained unpaid. This was his latest arrest, and he stood trial again for petty fraud the following day. He claimed he could not locate his wallet when paying, though the entire record points to the same set of tricks, including a supposed unwillingness to be evacuated by ambulance.
Aidas turned 50 on the day of his latest court appearance, and he shrugged off questions about whether the reporting newspaper might have overfed him. On leaving the courthouse, he appeared unfazed by the prospect of prison, seemingly ready to adapt to menus that would be served behind bars.