GNR detains man with 172 fuel jerrycans in Loulé
The GNR detained a 32-year-old man in Loulé who was transporting 4,300 litres of fuel in 172 jerrycans. The case fits a pattern of fuel smuggling linked to drug trafficking in the Algarve.
Man detained in Loulé with 4,300 litres of fuel in jerrycans
The GNR detained a 32-year-old man on Saturday for smuggling offences after intercepting him during a road safety inspection operation in the municipality of Loulé, in the Algarve. According to CNN Portugal, the suspect was transporting 172 jerrycans of fuel in a light goods vehicle, totalling 4,300 litres.
When approached by GNR officers, the man attempted to flee on foot but was intercepted moments later, according to a statement from the police force. The fuel, stored in jerrycans with an individual capacity of 25 litres, was seized in its entirety.
During the proceedings, officers also found that the vehicle was flagged in the Schengen Information System with a seizure notice, so the vehicle was also seized.
Context: fuel for drug trafficking vessels
The detention fits a broader trend recorded in recent months on Portugal's southern coast. Police authorities have intercepted dozens of maritime and road fuel transports that allegedly were intended to supply high-speed boats used in transporting drugs from the open sea to the Portuguese coast.
In recent weeks, authorities seized several tonnes of drugs on the Algarve coast and along the Guadiana river margins — areas increasingly used by drug trafficking organisations to smuggle drugs into Europe.
In response, Portuguese police and military forces have intensified surveillance along the Algarve coast and the Vicentian coast, with particular attention to the illegal transport of fuel that can subsequently be used by vessels in transporting drugs to shore.
Source: CNN Portugal