Five arrested for drug trafficking at Vale do Sousa Prison Establishment
The Judicial Police arrested four men and one woman suspected of introducing psychotropic substances into Paços de Ferreira prison. The investigation began in May after the arrest of a woman during a visit.
Judicial Police operation dismantles trafficking network in Paços de Ferreira prison
The Judicial Police arrested on Thursday five people — four men and one woman, aged between 17 and 68 years — suspected of being part of an organised group to introduce and commercialise psychotropic substances at the Vale do Sousa Prison Establishment in Paços de Ferreira, Porto district. The information was disclosed by the Judicial Police on Friday, as reported by Observador.
The operation was launched by the Northern Directorate and involved approximately fifty officers, who carried out searches inside and outside the prison establishment, culminating in the arrest of the suspected group.
The investigation dates back to May of this year, when a woman was arrested on suspicion of delivering drugs to her imprisoned partner during visiting hours. "The investigation, which had the close collaboration of the Directorate-General for Reintegration and Prison Services, had been ongoing since last May, when a woman was arrested suspected of delivering narcotic substance to her imprisoned partner during the visiting period," explained the Judicial Police in a statement.
The measures carried out made it possible to establish that the episode was not isolated and that there was a properly structured network for supplying and distributing substances in the prison.
Among the evidence collected, sheets of paper impregnated with a synthetic cannabinoid with strong hallucinogenic properties were seized — substances which, according to the Judicial Police, are "highly harmful, but widely used by imprisoned consumers".
The five arrested will be brought before a judge for their first hearing for the application of appropriate coercive measures.
Source: Observador