GNR intercepts drug speedboat on Guadiana and seizes Kalashnikovs and 10,000 litres of fuel
Overnight GNR operation along the Portuguese coast resulted in the seizure of hashish, two Kalashnikovs and approximately 10,000 litres of fuel.
Pursuit on Guadiana and four fronts of maritime drug trafficking enforcement
The GNR launched a large-scale operation against maritime drug trafficking between the night of 21 and the early morning of 22 October, with four simultaneous fronts along the Portuguese coast, from Esposende to the Algarve. The Territorial Command of Beja was among the main participants, according to radiopax.com.
The alert was issued by the Police and Customs Cooperation Centre of Castro Marim and Ayamonte, following the detection of a speedboat entering the Guadiana River. A boat from the Coastal and Border Control Unit was immediately mobilised, along with patrols from the Territorial Commands of Faro and Beja, and teams with drones from the Emergency Protection and Rescue Unit.
Facing pressure from security forces, the occupants of the speedboat began throwing cargo into the water during their escape. Joint action with the Spanish Guardia Civil allowed for the seizure of fifty-seven bundles of hashish. The GNR additionally recovered twenty bundles from the river.
In Fonte Boa, in the municipality of Esposende, troops from the Braga Command intercepted several suspicious vehicles near midnight in the vicinity of a vessel supporting drug trafficking. A 41-year-old man was detained. The operation resulted in the seizure of six vehicles, one vessel with two engines, approximately 1,500 litres of fuel and two loaded Kalashnikov assault rifles. At least three suspects managed to escape on foot, with drones being used in the search.
At Aveiras Service Area on the A1, the Guard intercepted a vehicle carrying approximately one hundred jerry cans of fuel. A 35-year-old Spanish citizen was named as a suspect. A second vehicle, also loaded with fuel, was found abandoned at Vala do Carregado.
Later in the early morning, at Baleeira Fishing Port in Sagres, troops halted a suspicious transshipment of fuel from a van to a speedboat. One individual was intercepted and approximately 3,750 litres of fuel were seized, before the vessel escaped by sea.
In the final tally, the GNR detained one man, named a second suspect as an arguido and intercepted a 15-year-old youth. Two Kalashnikovs, nine vehicles, one vessel, two marine engines and approximately ten thousand litres of fuel were seized, stored in 420 jerry cans destined for the refuelling of high-speed speedboats used in trafficking.
Source: Google News PT — Crime (pt)