By Chris King • Updated: 03 Jun 2022 • 16:00
Image of taxi sign. Credit: Creative Commons
Juan Francisco Dorta, from Granadilla de Abona on the Canary Island of Tenerife, has been a taxi driver for 20 years. Last Sunday, November 7, he played a huge role in promoting tourism on this popular British holiday destination.
At around 4pm, while preparing to drive two clients from the Tenerife south airport terminal, the 46-year-old noticed a backpack that appeared to have been abandoned. “I asked the boys if it was theirs and they said no, so I went to a group of seven people who were in the area and who were about to get into a colleague’s taxi and they also told me that it was not theirs”, he explained to Diario de Avisos.
Adding, “So I took it, and put it in the car, so that it would not stay there and someone would take it”.
Juanfran, made several trips to Playa de Las Americas that afternoon and forgot the denim gray bag that he had placed under a seat. That is, until he went to have breakfast in San Isidro the next morning and met his colleagues.
“They were commenting that a backpack had disappeared at the airport with a lot of money, and some writing papers. So I told them, ‘I have that backpack.’ I went to the car, took it, reached in, and took out I don’t know how many €100 euro notes. An exaggerated thing. My face changed. I flew out for the Guardia Civil, and when I arrived they were already searching and about to check the airport cameras”.
Once in the premises of the Guardia Civil, officers verified that inside the bag there were €10,380, comprising notes of €100, €50, €20, and €5 denominations, along with a women’s wallet containing documentation and the deeds of a property. “It was subsequently confirmed that its owner was an 81-year-old German cardiologist who seems to have come to buy a house”, said Juanfran.
“He probably left his bag on the ground to get a piece of paper or explain the hotel address to the taxi driver and forgot to pick it up”, surmised the taxi driver, who so far has not received any reward for his honesty. “Nothing has come to me”, he said, as reported by diariodeavisos.elespanol.com.
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Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com
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