Verdict in drug trafficking network case in Vila Real scheduled for 11 December
Nine defendants accused of trafficking await verdict reading in Vila Real Court. The network sold drugs near schools in the North and Centre of the country.
Vila Real Court to read verdict in aggravated drug trafficking case on 11 December
Vila Real Court has scheduled 11 December for the reading of the verdict in the trial of nine defendants accused of aggravated drug trafficking, according to avozdetrasosmontes.pt. The defendants are aged between 27 and 53 years.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, the nine were members of an organised network that sold narcotics in various areas of the Centre and North of the country from at least January 2023 to November 2024.
Among the accused are the alleged ringleaders of the network: a 30-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman who operated from a garage in Matosinhos. Also listed among the defendants is a 49-year-old teacher from Vila Real.
The trial, conducted by a panel of judges, began on 10 September. A source from Vila Real Court confirmed the date of the verdict reading.
The Vila Real GNR dismantled the alleged network in November 2024. At that time, authorities revealed that part of the sales took place in the vicinity of schools and in various municipalities in the North region. During the operation that culminated in the arrests, drugs with an estimated market value of 70,000 euros were seized.
According to the Prosecution Service, the structure of the network extended from the couple responsible for direct sales — of cannabis, cocaine, LSD and MDMA — to various resellers who acted as intermediaries, distributing the product to other resellers and, finally, to end consumers.
Six of the nine defendants are currently in pre-trial detention.
Source: Google News PT — Crime (pt)