Major GNR operation in Aveiro: 26 arrested and 40 kg of hashish seized
The GNR dismantled a drug trafficking network in the districts of Aveiro and Porto, with 26 arrested and 40 kg of hashish seized.
GNR dismantles trafficking network in districts of Aveiro and Porto with 26 arrested
The Territorial Command of Aveiro of the Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR), through the Criminal Investigation Unit of Oliveira de Azeméis, executed a major operation on Monday, 7 July, against drug trafficking, resulting in 26 arrests and the seizure of 40 kilograms of hashish. According to noticiasaominuto.com, the operation is part of a criminal investigation that had been ongoing for several months, aimed at dismantling a criminal organisation suspected of drug trafficking, illegal possession of firearms and other related offences.
Among those arrested are 21 men and five women, aged between 17 and 61. The 40 kilograms of hashish seized corresponds, according to the GNR, to approximately 80,000 individual doses. The authorities also collected further drug material and various items associated with criminal activity.
The investigation identified a criminal structure with "significant logistical capacity, which operated on a permanent and coordinated basis", ensuring the supply, transport, storage and distribution of narcotics in the districts of Aveiro and Porto, the GNR stated in a statement.
The evidence collected points to illicit activity centred mainly in the municipalities of Aveiro, Arouca, Estarreja, Vale de Cambra, Albergaria-a-Velha, Oliveira de Azeméis, São João da Madeira, Vila Nova de Gaia and Porto. The organisation used multiple locations for concealment, preparation and distribution of the product, supplying "a vast network of consumers", according to the GNR.
The same investigation also found that part of the activity took place in urban areas of high population density and in the vicinity of educational establishments, with the aim of exploiting the vulnerability of young people to recruit consumers.
During the operation, 11 arrest warrants were executed, 43 residential searches were carried out and 44 non-residential searches were conducted. The operation involved various units of the GNR and the support of the Public Security Police.
The 26 arrested will be presented on Tuesday, 8 July, at 14:00, at the Judicial Court of Santa Maria da Feira, for initial judicial questioning and the application of appropriate coercive measures.
Source: Google News PT — Crime (pt)